CAVEATS

• This is a topic that I’ve written about in the past. Since then, my views may have changed and I believe it’s time to update my thoughts through this post.

• The following opinions are my only. If anything you are about to read differs from your current understanding, or is different from that of your tutors, check with them and go with what feels best for you at this time.

One of the most irritating observations I kept witnessing as a student of this work, was recognising that my tutors and mentors teaching me how to sit in the power and meditate, weren’t actually doing so themselves.

Equally annoying was when I shared a platform with other mediums who took no time out prior to the demonstration to prepare their selves. Whilst I was sat in silence with headphones on, in a small room backstage, the other mediums would be posting on social media, chatting to whoever came into the room and apparently oblivious to the importance of their forthcoming demonstrations.

This frustration stayed with me for many years. Why were some mediums, including me, taking time out to prepare for a reading or demonstration, when others appeared not to embrace this practice?

Unlike many other skills, there are no rule books or fixed methods for becoming a medium working with the spirit world. There are as many ways to learn mediumship as there are teachers teaching it. Why? Because we learn from and through the experience of others that are more advanced as mediums. Every tutor will have their own set ways and beliefs, based on their progression. But the challenge that often occurs is in what is good for one person, may not be good for another.

Whilst one tutor will strongly believe in the power of meditation as part of the process, another tutor might choose to focus on other aspects of the work. These differences often leaves students, such as me, confused. My observations have led me to discover that most tutors will encourage their students to meditate, to the point that their workshops often start with a session of meditation. I’ve often thought that this was just a way of filling an amount of time where the tutor didn’t have to do much!

So, should or shouldn’t a student of mediumship learn to sit in meditation and the power of their own energy? The short answer is yes. I’ll explain the reasons later. Is meditation essential to the process of communicating with the spirit world? No. Again, I’ll tell you why I believe that in this article. Am I therefore suggesting that a new student to this work could become a medium without taking time to meditate and sit in the power? Possibly yes, though more likely no. Oh the confusion!

To appreciate the challenges of becoming a medium and improving on one’s abilities, the learning process is often broke down into two key areas – development & unfoldment. Though these two aspects are connected, each involves a different process. It is worth bearing in mind that there is also an overlap between these two aspects of the work.

The development of a student’s mediumship primarily comes from the practical learning and understanding of the task. Tutors will share techniques through group exercises, for example. The student learns the ethics, the understanding of communications, the relaying of the messages, the recognition of spirit connections, the history and the philosophy. Through the process of learning these abilities, and many more, the student develops their mediumship abilities and the process of unfoldment begins.

Unfoldment is a personal process. Although the process of unfoldment can be taught, nobody can make a student unfold. It’s a natural process that happens over time. It happens when our established beliefs are challenged with new and exciting ways. Our senses become heightened. Our understandings, thoughts and perceptions change and we gradually, over time, reveal abilities that we didn’t even knew we had, or have been long forgotten and buried due to the normal ways of living, peers, family and friends and those we’ve associated with. These people in our life have influenced us to become who we are.

The unfoldment process peels back much of those conditions gained in our lifetime, and shifts our focus to the inner self. As we learn the art of communicating with the spirit world through the development process, we naturally unfold. So, development can be taught, unfoldment is a natural by-product of that development, through learning and practising.

Of course, everyone is different. Some people, like myself, are slow learners, while others rise to the challenges involved with ease. Some students are more accepting of the changes required, whilst others rebel a little, dismiss things being taught them, and often believe they know different. I’m describing myself in the latter statement!

When you compare those two statements in that last paragraph, it’s somewhat clear to appreciate that one set of students are going to progress, develop and unfold their potential quicker than the other type. But let us appreciate that this entire craft of learning to communicate with the spirit world is a personal journey. We’re not in a race, nor are we becoming mediums to compete with others doing the same.

Now that is all on the table, let’s look at the subject of this article, meditation for spirit connection purposes. To answer the question, we must also throw a few more facts into the mix.

Many of the finest mediums around the world became aware of the spirit world around them at a very young age. They are what is commonly referred to as ‘gifted’. Though we will never really know why this happens, it is widely accepted that the Divine or universal forces specifically chose them.

This throws up another question. Aren’t we apparently all born equal? Well yes we are but circumstances rapidly play a part in our early development years. We were all born with the same skills as Mozart to play a piano. But his environment and those around him, coaxed and encouraged his early gift for music.

Our ‘gifted’ mediums are therefore already advanced in the acceptance and understanding of the spirit world. Meanwhile, the rest of us are shaped by our peers, parents and life circumstances. Any potential we might have to become a medium in later life is hidden, covered over by life, and often ends up as a subject we don’t consider, pursue or even believe in, thanks to our peers!

The next fact to appreciate is that everyone alive on earth has a force from the other side watching over them. Some people refer to these helpers as guides, inspirers and other romantic sounding names. They are always with each of us throughout our life. Perhaps they change occasionally and different guides work with us through different parts of our life, based on our circumstances. But rest assured, they are always there.

Those ‘gifted’ mediums became aware of these helpers early in their life. They naturally accepted these hidden friends as part of their life. They bonded, developed a relationship with them and most importantly, they learnt to trust them.

The majority of us live unaware of the helpers in the spirit world. We live our lives completely unaware that there are people in the spirit world ready to work with us and, to some extent, guide and manoeuvre us through our ordinary life, until one day, something sets a spark alight deep within us.

I was forty years old, in a dark place and without direction in my life. During the year 2000 several events happened together over a short period of months. These events were weird, like odd coincidences, spooky and just not normal, I thought. That was when my spark ignited. I was drawn to research mediumship, to discover whether it was all fake nonsense, or whether there was any truth in the claim that we live after we die.

This is how most mediums discover their desires to get involved in this life path. Something, sometime, somewhere, grabs their attention and ignites a spark deep within them. And that is when their new life path begins.

The problem for each of these people, such as with me, is that all that life has taught us, our religious beliefs, our motivations, our scientific beliefs, our peer opinions, our life experiences are now to be challenged and become subject to change. Every belief we hold about God, and about life after death are challenged with new information, new evidence and an ever growing new knowledge.

With every person’s circumstances being different, the amounts of unfoldment each has to do varies. If the person is like I was, ‘thick skinned’ as some would refer to it, much change is needed to become an effective medium. Sharing a secret with you, for the first four or so years of me being introduced to this new world, I had absolutely no plans to become a medium! I just wanted to understand the craft.

My first ever meditation teacher never actually sat in mediation herself. I couldn’t get my head around that. Mind you, she wasn’t a medium either, even though she brushed on the subject most weeks!

It was only a few years ago, after several decades of meditation, and sitting in the power, I began to understand why some mediums didn’t need to partake in the practice. One tutor I had, who remains a wonderful friend today, insisted that meditation and sitting in the power was essential for healthy mediumship. But whether he was doing it himself was not important. Why? Because he had been working with and aware of the spirit world since he was a very young boy. He’d had a lifetime of working with and understanding the subtleties of mediumship.

Sitting in the power of our own energy is a worthy way to assist our unfoldment. In doing so, we learn about ourself and our own spirit. It heightens our senses and awareness’s, and it produces the blank canvas we need for working as a medium.

To complete this article, here are a couple of other points worth mentioning. More often than we might be aware of, those mediums born gifted, do continue to sit in the power through meditation, even though they might appear not to have to. They do so in the knowledge that this will deepen their connection with the other side. Another point to consider is that the spirit world are very powerful and hugely intelligent. When they need to get communications across the veil, they will use whatever and whoever they can.

Being a medium is a privilege. Don’t ever think different. It’s not a right, or a given, that everyone will remain mediums forever. If the individual chooses to lead a life that is not remotely connected with a greater good, their powers of mediumship will diminish. Do I know that for sure? No, but I understand enough about the relationship we have with the spirit world to know that we have a duty of care with the work that remains important to both worlds.

SUMMARY

It is my view that every medium, whether born with an enhanced gift, or one found later in life, should regularly sit in the power of their own energy. In this article, I’ve explained why it’s not essential for the purpose of mediumship, but should be considered as important as any other techniques.

Some people might well claim to me that they are good mediums and they never meditate. Good for them. But how much better might you become through investing some time in getting to know themselves whilst developing a deeper relationship with the helpers in the spirit world.

Nowadays, I’ve found that I don’t need to sit for long periods of time in the power of my energy through meditation, to be able to connect with the spirit world. Like many other mediums, I can often connect in minutes or seconds, once I set the desire to.

I like to use the analogy of the bagpipe player. The player is always doing two important things. One action is in filling the bag with air through pumping with their arms. The other is in playing the notes through positioning of the fingers. Without the pumping action, momentarily the instrument will produce notes. But only until the bag is empty of air.

Consider that analogy when it comes to your mediumship. One works with the other, and in my view are equally important in the final outcome.

This has been another of those topics that, given the time, I could write a book on! For the purpose of the article, I had to be honest and fair to the readers. Yes, you can become a medium that doesn’t need to meditate or sit in the power. But why take the chance?

Even if I chose to stop my mediumship tomorrow or the next day, I would continue to sit in the power of my own energy. It is through doing that as regularly as I can, I have learned so much about myself and my relationship with my own higher Self.

The problem you might raise is that you simply can’t find the time, or even the desire to. Let me tell you, you have as many hours in the day as everyone else. Make time! Get up an hour earlier. Perhaps set a goal to meditate in the power every night before you go to bed. Just make the time.

It doesn’t have to be hours upon end either. Start with a goal to sit in silence for 15 minutes every day. Work on it and make it part of your life. Put it on your ‘To Do’ list, on your calendar, in your diary, or even on the fridge door. Create the habit.

Start every meditation with the same expectations – “I expect nothing to happen”.

Forget about having a busy mind, or not being able to focus for very long. These are all things that will be overcome with practise. But there is the answer, practise, regularly and without fail.

Should you do it before a reading or demonstration? Honestly, I believe yes. It sets the tone. It calms you down, it restricts nerves, it steadies your mind, it distracts your negative thoughts, and lots of other benefits, apart from the obvious external thing that it shows you to others as taking your work seriously enough to do so.

Ignore the other mediums that don’t bother to. They are doing their own thing and that is up to them. This is about you, about your mediumship, and about you becoming better as a medium.

Should you listen to slow calming music before a demonstration or reading and whilst meditating? Not necessarily. I use whatever I want to listen to at that moment. Sometimes it is new age instrumental music, while other times it will be my favourite piece of trance house music. Whatever rows your boat at that moment. It’s about escaping from this reality for the few minutes you choose and freeing your mind of the daily noise to focus inwardly.

I made up the analogy of the bag pipe player whilst I was writing this article. But isn’t that a wonderful parallel example.

I hope, as a student of this work, that I have shared something of value for you in this article. If you’ve read this far, you’re probably already steps ahead of others on this learning curve. My last words to you this day will be these: I strongly believe that sitting in the power and meditation are essential ingredients necessary for becoming a great medium and well rounded individual.

Learning the basic skills for mediumship is a relatively straightforward process for most people. Much of the skill involves learning how to connect with the spirit world, how to recognise that connection, and how to keep yourself out of these interactions as much as possible. Practising whilst learning is a crucial aspect of this development.

As with any new skill we learn, the more we practise, the better we should become. The result of becoming better builds our self-confidence. But new students to this work will often lack the needed self-confidence. Failing is part of the process of getting better, yet it can also have the effect of damaging our self-confidence in the process.

Self-confidence is a crucial aspect of personal development and well-being. It serves as the foundation for achieving goals, facing challenges, and navigating the complexities of life. In the practice of mediumship, self-confidence plays an often underestimated role. While some individuals seem naturally confident, others may struggle to believe in their abilities.

The good news is that self-confidence is a skill that can be cultivated and strengthened through intentional efforts and positive practices. The following list contains 10 simple ways you can improve your self-confidence and free your mind for better mediumship.

SET REALISTIC GOALS:

The worst challenge that a budding student of mediumship will have is in understanding what they can and can’t expect from their mediumship during their learning. Lowering expectations allows room for failures to happen during their development. Establishing achievable goals provides a clear direction and a sense of purpose. Break down larger objectives into smaller, manageable tasks. Celebrate small victories along the way, as each accomplishment contributes to a growing sense of self-efficacy.

PRACTISE POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS:

This is one of the most important ways to change your self-confidence. It’s on this list for that reason, but it takes work. Replace negative self-talk with positive affirmations every time. Create a list of affirmations that reflect your strengths and capabilities. Repeat these affirmations regularly to reinforce a positive mindset and counteract self-doubt. “I am a good medium”, “I’m excited with my new abilities”, “I love this journey of self-discovery”, are three examples, but take time to create your own custom affirmations. Write them on a card and carry them with you. Read them regularly. Even if you find yourself not believing them, do it anyway. Eventually you’ll create more self-belief and confidence.

EMBRACE FAILURE AS A LEARNING OPPORTUNITY:

Occasionally failing at something we try is an inevitable part of life, particularly in terms of mediumship. The very nature of connecting with the spirit world is fraught with obstacles along the way. Even the finest mediums on earth, fail to communicate clearly with the spirit world more often than you probably believe. An important aspect of failing that is often overlooked is in the opportunity to learn from the experience. Failing to connect or to channel a clear message from the spirit world is useful learning experience that you should embrace. This should not be viewed as a setback. Instead, view it as another step forward in your development. Learn from the mistakes you might have made, retain the lessons from it and use them to improve and grow. Never over-analyse your errors. See them as part of the learning process and move on.

BUILD COMPETENCE THROUGH SKILL DEVELOPMENT:

Mediumship is not something that can be fully understood from a weekend workshop. It involves a life-long commitment of learning and excellence. Seek out the good tutors that are skilled in the art of teaching others. The lady that runs a local circle may not be enough for you. Don’t limit your abilities to those of your teacher. The life of being a medium of standard will involve learning and practising, always. If you find there is an area of mediumship that you’re good at, then don’t waste precious time working on it. Instead, focus on areas where you need to learn more. Don’t underestimate the power of knowledge in mediumship. The more competent and knowledgeable you become, the greater your confidence will be.

BE AWARE AND PRACTISE YOUR BODY LANGUAGE AND POSTURE:

Stagecraft is a very important reflection of your self-confidence. The way you stand, your dress code, the way you present yourself all serve to inform your audience of how confident you are. Your perceived confidence acts to ease your audience. Stand tall, maintain eye contact and adopt an open and mildly assertive posture. Use the power of silence to your advantage. Don’t speak until you know what you’re going to say and wherever possible don’t use filler words like um. Avoid fidgeting and doing other distractive actions. Learn to control the space. Be more confident in the way you present your message by being more certain in your responses.

SURROUND YOURSELF WITH POSITIVE INFLUENCES:

The people we surround ourselves with play a significant role in shaping our self-confidence. Choose to spend as much time as possible around supportive, uplifting individuals who encourage and believe in your capabilities. Minimise interactions with those who undermine your self-worth. Understand that partners or close family relatives may not have the same enthusiasm for your interests. Accept it and don’t expect any support to come from them. Instead, use your teachers and mentors to positively influence you.

ACCEPT COMPLIMENTS GRACEFULLY

Learn to accept compliments graciously instead of deflecting or dismissing them. Acknowledge and internalise positive feedback, as it serves as external validation of your strengths and achievements. Never, never, never confess that you don’t deserve the compliment, or that you aren’t very good. That only serves to undermine your own confidence. Instead, say something like, “Thank you. I appreciate your feedback. It means something to me.”

VISUALISE YOUR SUCCESS

Utilise the power of your mind to visualise yourself succeeding in various situations. Visualisation is something you can do in the privacy of your imagination without needing to worry about what others might think. Top performers in many fields will visualise themself winning, achieving their goals, before they’ve began the pursuit. Don’t ever underestimate your power of visualisation. Visualisation will serve to reduce your anxiety, thereby building your self-confidence through the power of your mind. Use this technique in alignment with practising positive affirmations.

CELEBRATE PROGRESS, NOT PERFECTION

Recognise that perfection is an unrealistic standard, and striving for it can hinder and damage your self-confidence. Instead, focus on your progress and improvement. Every lesson learned, no matter how small, is a step forward. A failure to connect, or forward a message has a lesson in it for you to learn. So embrace it and celebrate your effort.

STEP OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE

Your growth and development as a medium will almost always occur outside of your comfort zone. Challenge yourself by taking on new experiences, new challenges, new approaches to your work with the spirit world and embrace the opportunities to overcome your fears. Each successful step beyond your comfort zone contributes to an increased sense of self-confidence.

SUMMARY

Working on and improving your self-confidence is a continuous journey that requires dedication and a lot of self-reflection. By setting realistic goals, cultivating a positive mindset, and embracing personal growth, you will enhance your confidence and embark on a path to greater self-assurance. Remember, building confidence is a process, and with patience and persistence, positive change is attainable.

There is one more bonus tip for Spirited Talk Envoys only. Subscribe, or log in to read it below.

There is one other aspect of your learning that will aid you in developing as a confident medium that is worthy of a mention. It is closely related to the stagecraft aspect of your confidence. It is how you present your communication to your recipient.

The way you present your message, the wording you use, has a massive impact on how it is heard and acted upon by the recipient, and how they perceive you as a medium. There are countless key phrases that, when used correctly, change the dynamic of a message.

One of the best ways to learn such key phrases is to spend time studying other higher standard mediums at work. This is something you can do in a live environment, or on videos found on platforms such as YouTube.

The phrasing they each frequently use has come from years of practising as a top class medium and learning their art of effective communication. There is a rich world of simple phrases that are available for you to learn. Start by always having a notebook at hand and writing them down, word for word.

Of course, at this stage these are not your words and may not flow as fluently as they would if they were part of your vocabulary. But, if you practise each newly acquired phrase in the privacy of your own company, they will become comfortable and will flow naturally as part of your communication with the recipient.

A book could be written on the psychology, the use and the reasons why such phrases work! Too much to cover in this section. But it is an easy tool for you to get on and use.

Let me finish by giving you a few examples of what I’m talking about. When you read these phrases, note how the communication has improved by the better phrasing of the message. Mary’s phrasing sound far more professional. In my examples, John is an average medium, while Mary appears a better medium.

JOHN:
“I’ve got a spirit with me, I think it’s a woman.”

MARY:
“I have a lady from the spirit world that wants to talk.”

JOHN:
”Sorry, my mind is filling with odd shapes and colours.”

MARY:
”Would you understand why this person is showing lots of shapes and colours?”

JOHN:
”Have you got a parent in the spirit world?”

MARY:
”I have a man with a father energy with me. Would you understand who this is?”

JOHN:
”Are the months of July and September relevant?”

MARY:
I’m aware that there is an event of importance in July. Also he is suggesting September too. Let me see if I can find out why those months are being mentioned.”

JOHN:
”You can’t take that. Oh well, take that home with you and it might come to you later.”

MARY:
”Perhaps I’m sensing that wrong. Let me work on it and see if we can find out what this person is trying to tell me.”

JOHN:
“I think . . .”

“I don’t know, but . . . “

“I wonder if . . . “

“This spirit is . . . “

MARY:
”I sense . . . .”

“I am being made aware of . . . “

“I feel . . . “

“This person is . . . “

There are many such tweaks that you can make to the delivery of your message that dramatically improve the communication and thereby reflect you as a confident, caring, and capable medium. Using such phrases with purpose and intent will serve to boost your own confidence as well as presenting yourself as someone that knows what they are doing.

EXERCISE
The next time you watch another medium demonstrating, forget whether their evidence is accurate and instead focus on their presentation through their stagecraft and their delivery. You will learn so much about them as a medium, and you might pick up a few tips or lines to add to your own vocabulary.

It is often suggested by other mediums and tutors that each of us should do our mediumship in our own way. We should not be cloning ourselves to be mini Tony Stockwell’s etc. I entirely disagree. The world of mediumship would be a much more uniform and professional place if we did all end up as clone-like mediums. But that is not the point of our exercise.

We are learning to better our self-confidence through our approach and delivery. Our natural personality will shine through when we have more confidence. We will be more assured of our abilities and others will automatically show a raised respect for us and our work.

If you have any comments or feedback, please feel free to leave them below.

Who’s the greatest medium of modern times, alive or passed? Let me give you a few moments to think about that. Perhaps in your mind, you’re bringing names from your recollections that you believe qualify for this award.

The problem with this kind of statement is that it requires a judgment to be made. The next issue to consider is who is making that judgment and what criteria are they using. When you consider those two factors, you’ll realise that any such statements about whose the best and worst are cannot be intelligently made.

But human nature dictates that we will make such judgments every day of our lives. The best football team is Liverpool, Bosch on Netflix is the best drama ever, the best meat to eat is chicken, the best drink is a gin and tonic, the best spirit podcast is Spirited Talk, and so on. It is me that made those judgments. You may or may not agree with them, but they remain only my opinions based on my likes, dislikes, and experiences.

I have been in the audience to watch many of the well-known mediums demonstrate in front of audiences of hundreds of people. Many of those mediums were television personalities, while a few were lesser known. Which was the best and what did I look for to judge them? The answer to the first part of that question is “wouldn’t you like to know?”

When I go to watch another medium work, I am hoping to see many different qualities within that medium’s demonstration, most important of all, the genuine evidence of a connection with the spirit world and rock-solid evidence from the spirit world. I will say here, that the last point is where many mediums fall down. But that is another topic for debate another day.

There are many factors that can affect a medium’s demonstration at any given time. The art of communicating with the spirit world is not guaranteed to be successful or enlightening every single time. Even the alleged very best mediums will do readings that are not really evidential. Here’s a true story from my personal journal.

Many years ago, I went to visit a well-known medium who was appearing at The Town Hall in Cheltenham. They were outstanding, with evidence of the afterlife lacing every sentence they spoke. As a budding medium myself, I was filled with excitement.

The following day, at the office where I worked, I shared my excitement with a fellow colleague. She then bought two tickets for the medium’s next demonstration the following night. One of those tickets she bought was for me. My work colleague wanted me to go with her to enjoy this medium and to accompany her in a crowd of “weird” people.

The evening came and there I was with hundreds of other enthusiastic people, and my work colleague, queuing up to witness this fine medium once more.

Within a few minutes of the demonstration beginning, I realised that something was wrong with the medium. He was talking nonsense and waffling about irrelevant stuff. After 30 minutes or so, the audience began to get restless. He was producing no evidence of even being connected to the spirit world. Every reading he gave to a member of the audience was off and weak.

The most embarrassing moment happened in the second half when he invited a woman in the audience to stand for the house cameras to pick her up. The medium then told her and the audience that he had her mother, June, in the spirit world with him. And dad was there too.

But the lady in the audience interrupted the medium and said, “My mother is at home, babysitting my kids, and her name is not June. My dad is a bus driver and is at work tonight.”

He then spent 5 minutes suggesting that the energy of a carnate person can come through, and that was his reason for bringing her forward. His explanation with neither believable nor even likely plausible.

For the remainder of that demonstration, the medium was dire. When the audience left the theatre, most were stunned and annoyed at how bad the well-known and well-loved medium had been.

I felt awful because I had recommended a work colleague to see him. At work the following day, the topic of conversation was about how mediums are just fakes. I could not defend the argument.

There is no such “best” award available to mediums. The entire subject is both emotive and subjective. There are no definite qualities required and there are no minimum qualifications. Being a good medium is not based on years of experience or the amount of evidence passed on. Neither is it about being the best performer in front of the crowd, or the most popular on social media. Being a good medium should remain personal and definitely a private ambition.

Do you believe that the spirit world actually cares who the best and worst mediums are? Not one iota! Their concern is only in communicating with us in whatever means and methods they can use. Of course, there are those mediums that are better aligned with the processes required and their conditions make them a better conduit for the spirit world. But that alone does not make the medium the best. Merely that the spirit world is finding that medium suitable and receptive.

From my own experiences, here’s a true story that highlights this point.

I was working with a small group of students in my home development circle. The only man in my group had desires to be a medium, but was showing no signs of grasping the basics. He was distracted too easily, being in the company of other young ladies. His attention span was poor and I often believed he had ulterior motives for attending the circle. But he was a likable guy and the others always wanted him to succeed.

During one session, he was invited to take the floor and give me a reading. He stood in front of us all seated, staring at him and hoping something of value would leave his mouth. It did.

For a few moments, he surprisingly connected with my mum in spirit and proceeded to give me a detailed message that absolutely nobody could have known. It wasn’t general information, it was a specific piece of evidence that only my mum would have known.

Tears rolled down my cheeks as my emotions got the better of me. This young man had passed a communication on to me that was probably the finest that any medium had ever given me. It was categorically proof. The student had witnessed the potential power he had within him and for a few sessions after that, he knuckled down to the job of learning.

That student’s story illustrates the points I am making in this article. Was my wayward student the best medium I had ever known? Absolutely not. Was the evidence he passed to me, the best I’ve ever received? Absolutely yes.

You see, often it is not about the medium, their personality, their fame, or their standing in the community. It is about the one piece of evidence that we receive personally through them, that shakes our emotions.

Perhaps it’s time that instead of us all judging who is the best and worst mediums, we should instead award the best and worst recipients of a message. Educating those that wish for a message, might help level the playing field.

So, are there too many mediums nowadays? Absolutely no. There’s not enough, in my opinion. Should there be a minimum qualification before a medium can work publicly? No. But there should be a minimum expected standard of professionalism and understanding of the subject. Should we be judging all the mediums? Try stopping!

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SUBSTACK MAY 2023

An aura is an energy field that surrounds living beings, including humans, animals, and plants. The common belief is that the aura is composed of subtle vibrations of energy that emanate from the subject and can be seen as a coloured halo or field around it.

In 1939, Russian inventor Semyon Davidovich Kirlian, invented a method of taking portraits using a metal plate and an electric current that he claimed could reveal the “life force” of his subjects. Kirlian photography became the common method to record an aura at that given moment.

From the image produced, an experienced reader could suggest various aspects that might be creating those colours and even some illnesses could be detected using these results.

The good news is however that equipment is not required to see auras. Everyone can learn the skills required to detect and see them. Though it might take some time to perfect and a lot of patience in the process.

There are many interpretations of the colours and patterns seen in an aura, but generally, it is thought that each colour represents different aspects of a person’s emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being.

THE COMMON COLOURS

Here are a few of the common meanings for the following colours appearing in an aura.

Red: A strong red aura may indicate passion, energy, or vitality, while a dull or muddy red may indicate stress or anger.

Orange: A bright orange aura may indicate creativity, joy, or excitement, while a dull or murky orange may indicate fear or anxiety.

Yellow: A bright yellow aura may indicate intelligence, optimism, or confidence, while a pale or muddy yellow may indicate fatigue or confusion.

Green: A bright green aura may indicate balance, harmony, or healing, while a murky or dark green may indicate jealousy or resentment.

Blue: A bright blue aura may indicate calmness, clarity, or communication, while a dull or grayish-blue may indicate sadness or depression.

Purple: A bright purple aura may indicate spiritual awareness, intuition, or creativity, while a murky or dark purple may indicate fear or uncertainty.

It is important to note that seeing auras is considered a part of alternative and complementary practices and is no substitute for medicine. It is uncertain whether the aura colours can be manipulated from outside of the body, or whether the colours are determined entirely by the state of the body at that given moment, the latter being the common belief.

Learning to see auras can be a fun and interesting pastime but it requires patience, persistence, and practice.

Here are some basic steps you can follow to get started:

1. Learn to understand what auras are. Before you can start seeing auras, you need to know what you are looking for. Auras can be seen as coloured halos or fields around the body.

2. Find a suitable location: You need a quiet and comfortable place to practice seeing auras.

A space that is free of distractions and interruptions will help you focus your attention and energy.

3. Relax and focus: Settle and take some deep breaths and spend a few minutes relaxing. Focus your attention on the subject you want to observe. Try to let go of any thoughts or distractions that may come up.

4. Use your peripheral vision: Auras are said to be easier to see with your peripheral vision, so try not to look directly at the subject you are observing. Instead, focus your gaze on a point slightly to the side or above the subject.

5. Practice with different backgrounds: Auras can be easier to see against a plain or solid background, so try practicing against a white or light-coloured wall. You can also practice seeing auras against different backgrounds to see how they may change or appear differently.

6. Use your intuition: Learning to see auras requires you to be open and receptive to your intuition. Pay attention to any impressions or feelings you may get while observing the subject. This can help you identify and interpret the colours and patterns you see.

7. Practice regularly: Seeing auras takes practice, so make sure you set aside time to practice regularly. The more you practice, the easier it will become.

Remember, learning to see auras is a personal skill that takes time to develop, and everyone’s experience may be different. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t see anything right away, and keep practicing.

At first, you may rely on your intuition more than your eyes. It will take time for your vision to align to the aura. What that means is that even with your eyes closed and a focus of attention being on the subject, dominant colours of the aura may be experienced with the inner vision.

With time, patience, and persistence, you may learn to see the world in a whole new way and add a valuable tool to your psychic and spiritual toolkit.

AUTHOR’S CONCLUSION

I love the idea of being able to see auras, though my personal experience relies on my inner visions at this time of my unfoldment. An important aspect of this type of work is that the reader must have an understanding and familiarity with various colours and their interpretation.

Being somewhat cynical, having an aura photo taken can cost up to £70 and all you really have is a photo of yourself surrounded in a mist of colours. A reading on those colours is most likely only going to be accurate at that moment of time when the photo was taken. Photos taken as little as five minutes apart will vary quite a lot.

A related exercise that I do enjoy is placing a crystal or gemstone on a white piece of paper. Then gazing at it with a soft focus. After a few moments of doing this, a white halo can be clearly seen emanating from the object. I also enjoy doing this on people, though staring over someone’s shoulder can make them feel uncomfortable and does return some rather odd looks!

Many mediums will falsely claim they can see auras, probably to make themselves appear more mystical. But it is worth remembering that mediums are attuned to be able to physically see things that are often not real. That comes with the sensitivity of the work.

There are hundreds of books written on the subject of seeing auras. Most will claim to be able to teach you to see them after a few chapters. This is most certainly not the reality.

Aura reading, or more importantly, the meaning of colours, is a valuable and exciting skill to add to your toolkit. This is where your personal journal plays an important role for recording your experiences.

Where was Jesus’s body buried?

According to the New Testament, after Jesus was crucified, his body was taken down from the cross and buried in a tomb. The exact location of the tomb is not known with certainty, but the Gospels provide some information that may help to narrow down the possibilities.

The Gospel of John describes the tomb as being located in a garden near the place of crucifixion (John 19:41). The Gospel of Mark adds that the tomb was hewn out of rock (Mark 15:46) and that it belonged to a man named Joseph of Arimathea (Mark 15:43).

There are several possible locations that have been suggested as the site of Jesus’s tomb, including the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, which is traditionally considered to be the most likely location. This site contains a tomb that is believed by some to be the one in which Jesus was buried.

However, it is important to note that the exact location of Jesus’ tomb cannot be definitively established, and there are other theories and possibilities that have been proposed over the years. Ultimately, the location of Jesus’ tomb is a matter of historical and archaeological debate and interpretation.

Could Jesus have actually been a medium of his day?

There is no evidence in the historical accounts of Jesus’s life and teachings that suggest he was a medium, as the term is commonly understood. The concept of mediums as they are known today did not exist in the time and cultural context in which Jesus lived.

Furthermore, Jesus’s teachings and actions focused primarily on spreading a message of love, forgiveness, and compassion, and on performing miracles and healings that were generally attributed to his Divine nature or the power of God.

While it is true that some of the supernatural events described in the Bible, such as visions, prophecies, and healings, may seem similar to what is commonly associated with mediumship, it is important to note that the cultural and religious context in which these events occurred was very different from modern-day beliefs and practices surrounding mediumship.

Therefore, while it is possible to speculate about what Jesus might have been considered if he were alive today, it is uncertain that he would have been considered a medium in the same sense as those who communicate with spirits from the other side of the veil.

Did Jesus have brothers and sisters?

The question of whether Jesus had brothers and sisters is a matter of debate. The New Testament describes several individuals who are identified as Jesus’s brothers and sisters.

For example, in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus’s mother Mary and his brothers James, Joses, Judas, and Simon are mentioned (Mark 6:3). Similarly, in the Gospel of Matthew, Mary, James, Joses, Simon, and Judas are referred to as Jesus’ brothers (Matthew 13:55-56).

However, some scholars argue that the terms “brothers” and “sisters” in these passages should be understood as meaning something other than siblings. For example, they suggest that the terms might refer to close relatives or even to disciples or followers of Jesus.

Other scholars, however, argue that the passages in the New Testament should be taken literally and that Jesus did in fact have siblings. They point out that the idea of Jesus having brothers and sisters is consistent with Jewish cultural norms of the time, and that other ancient texts and traditions also suggest that Jesus had siblings.

Overall, while there is no definitive answer to this question, the evidence suggests that it is at least possible that Jesus had brothers and sisters. However, it is important to note that the exact nature of Jesus’s family relationships remains a matter of debate and interpretation.

Are there any known relatives of Jesus living today?

There is no credible evidence to suggest that any direct biological descendants of Jesus are alive today. It is highly unlikely that any such descendants would be able to trace their lineage back to Jesus with any degree of certainty, given the many centuries that have passed since his time and the lack of reliable historical records from that period.

Furthermore, it is important to note that the concept of biological descent and familial relationships in ancient cultures was often different from modern Western notions of kinship. The idea of a direct biological descent from Jesus might not have been as important or relevant in the cultural context in which he lived as it is today.

There have been various claims and legends about Jesus having descendants or living relatives, but there is no credible evidence to support such claims. The question of Jesus’s family relationships and descendants remains a matter of debate and speculation.

What happened to Jesus’s mother?

According to Christian tradition, after Jesus’s death and resurrection, his mother Mary continued to live with some of his disciples, including the apostle John.

While the New Testament does not provide much information about Mary’s later life, some non-canonical texts and traditions suggest that she may have travelled to various places and played a role in spreading the teachings of Jesus. For example, some traditions suggest that Mary may have lived for a time in Ephesus, where the apostle John was believed to have lived and where there was a community of early Christian believers.

There are also various legends and stories about Mary’s life and activities after Jesus’ death, some of which are recognized by different Christian denominations and others that are considered to be apocryphal or outside the bounds of traditional Christian doctrine.

Overall, while there is no definitive answer to this question, the Christian tradition holds that Mary remained a significant figure in the early Christian community and continued to play a role in spreading the teachings of Jesus.

Are there any original scripts from the times when Jesus was alive?

No, there are no surviving original manuscripts. The earliest known copies of texts that describe Jesus’s life and teachings date from several decades after his death.

The New Testament, which is the primary source of information about Jesus and his teachings, was written in Greek by various authors, and the earliest surviving copies of these texts date from the second and third century CE.

There are also other non-related texts from around the time of Jesus that provide some insight into the cultural and historical context in which he would have lived, such as the works of the Jewish historian Josephus and the writings of the Roman historian Tacitus.

However, none of these texts are original manuscripts from the time of Jesus himself, and the question of what he actually said and did is ultimately a matter of interpretation based on the available historical evidence and religious tradition.

Could Jesus therefore just be a myth?

The overwhelming majority of scholars who study the historical Jesus believe that he was a real person who lived in Palestine in the first century CE. While the historical evidence for Jesus is not as extensive as it is for other figures from the ancient world, there are a number of reliable sources (mentioned in the previous question) outside of the New Testament that provide some insight into his life and teachings.

These sources all mention Jesus in some way, and while they do not provide a complete picture of his life and teachings, they do lend support to the idea that he was a real historical figure.

Moreover, the origins of Christianity and the spread of its teachings cannot be fully explained without the existence of a historical Jesus. The historical Jesus provides the foundation for the Christian belief system and the development of the early Christian church.

While there are some who argue that Jesus was a mythical figure or that his life and teachings have been embellished over time, the vast majority of scholars who study the historical Jesus agree that he was a real person who lived in Palestine in the first century CE.

Did Jesus shape the future of mankind?

There is no doubt that Jesus has had a profound impact on the course of human history, both in terms of religious and cultural development and in the broader spheres of politics, social justice, and morality.

Through his teachings and example, Jesus challenged the existing power structures of his time, emphasizing the importance of love, compassion, and social justice. His message of peace, forgiveness, and the inherent dignity of all people has had a lasting impact on Western culture and has helped to shape the development of modern democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.

Moreover, the spread of Christianity has had a profound impact on the history of Europe and the wider world, influencing art, music, literature, philosophy, and many other fields of human endeavour.

Of course, the impact of Jesus and his teachings has not been universally positive, and Christianity has been used at times to justify oppressive practices and unjust social structures. Nevertheless, the message of Jesus has continued to inspire countless people throughout history and has played a significant role in shaping the course of human civilization.

Does Jesus have a place in modern Spiritualism?

Jesus has played a significant role in the history of Spiritualism, which is a religious movement that emerged in the 19th century and emphasizes communication with the spirits of the dead as a means of spiritual growth and healing.

Many early Spiritualists saw Jesus as a spiritual teacher and guide, and his teachings on love, compassion, and the inherent dignity of all people were seen as consistent with the core values of the movement.

Today, there are many modern Spiritualists who continue to view Jesus as an important spiritual figure and seek to incorporate his teachings into their practice. Some Spiritualist churches and organizations include Jesus as a central figure in their services and rituals, and there are many Spiritualist mediums who claim to receive messages from Jesus or other spiritual guides who identify with him.

However, it is important to note that Spiritualism is a diverse movement with many different beliefs and practices, and not all Spiritualists view Jesus in the same way. Some Spiritualists may reject traditional Christian teachings about Jesus, while others may see him as just one of many spiritual teachers and guides.

Ultimately, the role of Jesus in modern Spiritualism will depend on the individual beliefs and practices of Spiritualists themselves.

Caveat: The author of this edition, (Trevor Baldwin) has undertaken research to establish the facts used within it as accurate. It is accepted however that others understandings may vary from those mentioned in this edition.

Have you ever spent money on a Reiki healing? The chances are you have, or have thought about it. Reiki is a wonderful system of healing and there are hundreds of certificate holding practitioners to choose from. Fifteen years ago, I trained for Reiki and have Reiki 1 and Reiki 2 certificates proudly framed and hanging on a wall in my sanctuary.

Have you ever spent money on a Reiki healing? The chances are you have, or have thought about it. Reiki is a wonderful system of healing and there are hundreds of certificate holding practitioners to choose from. Fifteen years ago, I trained for Reiki and have Reiki 1 and Reiki 2 certificates proudly framed and hanging on a wall in my sanctuary.

A few years ago, one of my young female students asked me if she should train for Reiki healing. At the time, I thought it would be good for her as long as she could afford the cost of the training and attunements. I said that because when I trained, it cost me several hundred pounds each for the two levels I completed and she was a young mother with children, often unable to pay me her £5 weekly circle fee.

A couple of weeks later, the student proudly announced to me that she had completed her Reiki course. I was pleased for her, though curious as to what she meant. Being nosey, I ask her how much it had cost, as a subtle hint that she owed me money for the circle fees, now around £30. She told me she got all three courses for just £150, a bargain.

Hang on a minute – alarm bells rang. “What do you mean, all three courses?”

She corrected herself and said all three levels. “I got them last Saturday and Sunday.”

I gave her a false smile, so as not to burst her bubble of pride and happiness. But inside, I was annoyed, no angry. But I could not explain to her why.

When I took my Reiki training, my teacher was quite serious about the procedure. She had advised me me to take each of the first two levels several weeks apart. The energy changes brought on during the induction procedure takes time for the body to adjust to.

So it was about a month for me to move through my first two levels. I had to produce evidence to my master that I’d been practising what I’d learnt on Reiki 1 before she would consider me for the Reiki 2 training session. At the completion of the reiki 2 training I was instructed to continue practising for a few months. I should go and use the new healing abilities on plants, animals and close friends. I should learn the new craft well, before my master would consider completing my training with reiki 3 – the master level.

I was expected to learn all the hand positions, the symbols and the wordology for my benefit as a new holistic healer and to demonstrate how I was ready to complete the training with the master certificate. To comply with this request, I joined ‘reiki-share’ events and offered ‘reiki taster’ sessions for free. My trainer believed that it was important I fully understood reiki healing to a good standard before she would consider me for a ‘master’ training and certification.

My circumstances changed during that period and I never took the master training. I believed I was not at a standard to be called a master and I respect the Reiki system too much to dilute it. I could have though. But my thinking was that this would have suggested a false representation of a respected age-old healing system that deserves to be taken seriously by the practitioners.

Interestingly, the student I am referring to never did anything with her Reiki in the time after that I knew her. When I questioned her subtly some weeks later, she could not even recall the distance healing symbol or its name. What a waste of money!

The heading of this article is “Question To The Reiki Master” and we finally arrive at my point of this edition. Many people turn to a Reiki practitioner on the recommendation of a friend, who is often promoting someone they know that does it. But the question you should be asking before you book and pay for a session should be, “what was the process of your training?”

Perhaps other similar questions worth considering might be:

• Are they someone that takes Reiki seriously, or someone that does it now and then for a bit of cash?

• Are they still learning and what is their procedure for specific ailments, such as arthritis?

• What is the likely outcome from a healing session with them?

• Have they got public liability insurance?

I’m not suggesting that having a reiki session with a friend’s friend is not worth trying out. But when there is a cash transaction involved, you should be asking yourself what you can expect of value from the exchange.

At the time I trained, I attended many Reiki practice sessions for a long time after ‘qualifying’. As a group, we often invited people to the group who wanted to sit as patients, for free. We encouraged interaction and feedback and took it seriously whilst respecting the power of Reiki.

Let me finish by making myself clear, I am not suggesting for one moment that Reiki isn’t a valuable system of healing. It most certainly is, and a good reiki session will be noticeable and felt. But if the practitioner is focused on earning money from it, and their ongoing training and learning is absent, then the long term affect is in diluting what is a wonderful holistic healing system into nothing more than a money-spinner for the talentless healers.

Personally, I do not charge for healing. I might accept a gift in exchange for the service, but that is not my motivation. I rarely use just the Reiki system with my healing, unless there is a specific need to focus the healing. Most important though, I never make claims that cannot be substantiated with evidence and never do anything that involves touching the skin unless it is someone I know very well. I follow a strict code of ethics and always listen to the patient’s requirements.

Reiki is powerful, when performed by a properly trained person. Help keep it that way by choosing your practitioner carefully and don’t forget to use your natural gut instinct when you make your choice.

COMMENTS

Marlene April 17, 2023   Liked by Trevor Baldwin I studied Reiki 1 and 2 and was fortunate that my teacher had learned Reiki in Japan as this is where she grew up. It has a certain ‘reverence’ which seems to have been lost in a lot of practitioners these days. My teacher would only allow us to learn each level with several months in between. It taught us discipline as well as respect for the knowledge shared. By the time I had completed Reiki 2 it seemed ‘everyone’ was a Reiki Master, yet few showed respect for this wonderful method of healing. I decided I didn’t want to be a Reiki Master, I just wanted to be a healer. Besides, my own teacher told us that the role of a Reiki Master was to teach as well as to heal and I was teaching mediumship at the time as well as giving healing, running a home and bringing up children. Incidentally, I also trained for two years with Sussex Healers. We had to know every bone, every ‘system’ (endocrine/digestive/reproductive etc) and its workings alongside everything else. I’ve never charged for healing and never will. I feel it’s something I’m privileged to offer those in need. It’s never been about the money spent on training. It’s only ever been about helping another soul. I guess we’re very alike in our thoughts and feelings on this subject, Trevor.   Liked (1) Reply Share

 

 

 

kelly green kelly’s Substack April 17, 2023   Liked by Trevor Baldwin Having learnt reiki 6 years ago I agree with everything you have said. I too have level 1 & 2. My teacher was great, I had weeks between training and receiving my certification, she even sent me away when completing level 2 as my energy level wasn’t quite strong enough to be issued with a pass certificate, I had to practice more before I earned that certificate. I had just started reiki on client when lockdown happened so I stopped. Since then I have only practiced daily reiki on myself. I feel if I were to work as a practitioner I would need to do a refresher courses. Great article.   Liked (1) Reply Share

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SUBSTACK 8TH MAY 2023

Semi-Precious gemstones and crystals are natural minerals that have long been used for healing purposes in various cultures around the world.

They are believed to have energetic properties that can enhance the health and well-being of the body, mind, and spirit. Today, crystals are often used in holistic practices to promote balance, clarity, and vitality. Most mediums and healers have a few in their collection. Readily available and often inexpensive to buy, crystals make a wonderful gift as well as being useful in your healing and meditation.

In this introduction, we will explore the top 20 crystals with a brief summary of their uses.

TREV’S TOP 20

1: AMETHYST

Used to enhance intuition, calm the mind, and promote better sleep. Often considered every medium’s favourite.

2: CLEAR QUARTZ

Often called the “master healer”. This crystal is used to amplify energy and promote overall wellness.

3: ROSE QUARTZ

Known as the “love stone”. This crystal inspires compassion, empathy, and can be used for emotional healing.

4: CITRINE

The crystal to use to promote optimism, prosperity, and creativity. Placing this crystal in a corner of a room is said to bring financial rewards to the home.

5: BLACK TOURMALINE

The protection crystal. Used for protection against negative energy and assisting with grounding

6: SELENITE

Often used to enhance intuition and promote spiritual awareness. Also a good choice crystal to use in a meditation.

7: CARNELIAN

This gem is known for its ability to promote motivation, creativity, and confidence. It is often used for manifestation work.

8: LABRADORITE

A crystal is to enhance intuition, promote spiritual growth, and protect against negative energy.

9: BLUE LACE AGATE

The calming crystal with soothing properties. A good choice to use for reducing stress and anxiety.

10: AMAZONITE

A common crystal often used for promoting emotional balance, communication, and harmony.

11: FLOURITE

A crystal to enhance balance, mental clarity and focus.

12: HEMATITE

Commonly used to promote grounding, adding protection and increasing vitality.

13: LEPIDOLITE

Suitable for use with healing and balance. This crystal is often used for meditation and stress relief.

14: MALACHITE

A powerful crystal used to promote transformation, growth, and self-discovery.

15: RHODONITE

This crystal is used for for its ability to promote forgiveness, compassion, and emotional healing.

16: SMOKY QUARTZ

A popular crystal to enhance grounding, protection, and balance. Also often used to promote relaxation and relieve anxiety.

17: TIGER’S EYE

A beautiful crystal used for its ability to promote courage, confidence, and self-motivation.

18: BLACK ONYX

A crystal used to promote strength, offer protection, and assist with mental focus.

19: GARNET

Used to promote vitality, passion, and motivation. This crystal is often used to boost energy levels.

20: MOONSTONE

As its name suggests, this crystal is known for its connection to the lunar cycle. It is used to promote intuition, emotional healing, and feminine energy.

Collecting and using crystals is exciting and enlightening. Whether polished or in their original raw state, these beautiful and natural gifts from the earth add another dimension to your unfoldment for healing and spiritual work.

FYI

Trevor’s favourite crystal, not included in the above list, is LAPIS LAZULI

If the spirit world connect to us through our imagination, how do we know the difference between them talking and our own mind chat? What are we listening to at any given moment? Is there a technique to defining the differences?

I’m speaking for myself here, but if there was ever a way to have a daily printout of all the thoughts I’ve had, I’d hide myself away on a desert island! Not even the greatest psychologists or psychiatrists could untangle such a spectrum of pointless brain-noise!

Equally, if there was a mind-speaker that could be heard aloud, my mind would shock, surprise, intrigue, confuse, worry, frighten and occasionally delight anyone listening. I have a monkey-mind as it is often referred to. But I’m no different to anyone else, if the truth be known.

From the moment we wake in the morning, until we finally fall asleep at the end of the day, our mind feed us a constant flow of thoughts, which more often than we would care to admit, offer no real purpose or use in our life at that moment. That is our imagination at work. Like a tap turned on with no way of stopping the flow, right?

The annoying aspect of all this unwanted thinking is in how little sense our thoughts make, compared say with a newspaper content. You’re reading my words as I wrote them, in nicely formed sentences with a beginning and an end. My writing is disciplined, fluent and focused. I just wish my mind acted like that more than it does!

So, as a medium, how do I define the difference between my thoughts, and those of a spirit person communicating with me?

The truth is easier to understand than you think, but it does involve some discipline and practice. The first thing to lightly ponder over is how much activity actually is in your mind. It’s a busy place, right? So the most obvious question might be to ask how much of that racket is already communications from the spirit world? Have you ever stopped to internally listen to it? Of course not. In the same way we don’t go around prodding everyone to make sure they are real people and not spirits amongst us. Rule one: The voice of spirit is often our own internal voice. It’s the origin of the content that we need to consider.

Honestly, the people in the spirit world have their own stuff to do, so it’s very unlikely that they are going to be injecting communications on our mind’s imagination willy-nilly. Why would they do that without good reason? After all, they know their efforts are likely to go unnoticed anyway.

Consider your mind as the surface of a big pond in a rain storm. When you observe the surface, with your mind’s eye you can see rain drops hitting the surface, each one creating a ripple. Hundreds of ripples, representing the thoughts of the mind. It is our highly intelligent conscious mind that responds only to what is appropriate at that moment.

You may be driving, mowing the lawn, reading a book, carrying out a task at work, or any one of thousands of other things you do every day. Your conscious mind is only hearing and responding to what is important for the task in hand. You might even be able to plan the evening meal while doing something else. And again, your mind feeds the thoughts you want to hear. But more often than you care to imagine, there are a lot of stray and random thoughts trying to grab your attention. Threads of thought that, if we were to follow one, would lead our imagination off in another direction, all be it often temporarily.

But surely we can’t control the place in our mind where all this imagination lives?

Imagine we take five or ten minutes out to sit somewhere alone. We close our eyes and we focus on that surface pond with our mind’s eye. We watch the ripples, knowing these are being created by our thoughts. We see ourselves sat by the pond, observing the water’s surface.

We focus only on this pond and don’t allow our minds to wander from the subject. We imagine that the rain hitting the surface is decreasing and fewer ripples are appearing on the pond. (Because you are focusing on this, that really should be happening. Your mind is quietening.) Now we speak to the spirit world in that place we’ve created.

“Hello, I am Trevor. I am listening and ready to hear you.”

We remain focused on the pond’s surface, observing how fewer raindrops are hitting the surface. We create a still surface with our mind. Our mind is quieting all the time and finally we have the perfect conditions to hear the spirit communicators speak to us.

All very easy. But how do we progress this?

We allow our own spirit to speak through our imagination. It might be simple at first. Allow our own higher spirit to speak, using our own mind’s voice.

“Hello, I am with you.”

Is an example of what we might hear ourselves saying. It’s up to each of us what we want to say to our self! But before someone suggests that that is nothing more than our own imagination, consider this: How do we know? You see, we have to understand that the spirit people will communicate through our minds, and the only way we can recognise it is in our imagination. Hello? Your imagination. The place used by the spirit people to communicate with you. Let me repeat – your imagination.

Finish your exercise by saying thank you and return to your normal state of thinking. Let all the ripples return!

Is That It?

Not entirely. But it’s a good start. We’ve now learnt how to set the environment. We’ve learnt how to adjust our focus and, to a greater or lesser degree, we’ve learnt to settle our mind and make space for other communications to be heard.

It is now down to each of us to practise this every chance we get. Internal listening. Controlling the environment in the mind. In a sense, meditating with focus. During this process we are creating space and opportunity for the spirit, our own spirit, our higher spirit to talk and be heard.

Let the talking begin! Perhaps we might like to ask our higher Self a question or two.

“What is it I need to work on?”

“To whom am I listening to?”

“Is this really only me talking to myself?”

Our answers will come from our own higher Self. The great news is that the answers will be absolutely accurate. Effectively we are asking the questions, and then answering them. Nothing more complicated than that. But ask the questions and allow our own spirit to answer. The key is to listen to the answers though – that is the important part.

Surely That Is Just My Own Imagination?

Yep, you got it! It’s nobody else’s is it? But we’re now creating an environment, a place in own imagination where our own spirit can speak and be heard. What’s even more exciting is that those working with us in the spirit world will know that. They can use that place at last!

The more we do this, the more we’ll start to be able differentiate between our ‘daily’ mind noise and the voice of spirit. We’ll develop trust and appreciation. We’ll grow a love and a desire for this new skill. We’ll become more accepting and less judgemental of everything that comes from this place in our imagination.

The title of this post is “Self Talk – But Is It Spirit Talk?”. Hopefully, now we have come to realise that there is little, and often, no difference. Self is capitalised, because it refers to our higher Self, our own higher spirit, which let’s remember, is connected to the world of spirit.

The Only Problem We Might Discover

The only problem we might discover is us personally. We are the only obstacle. Our doubts, disbelief, lack of trust, inability to listen, to accept, to acknowledge that our higher Self, our very own spirit and those living in that same place are talking through our imagination.

Listen Internally Exercise

Find someone you know and ask them if you can practice a new technique on them for a reading. When the time comes, spend a few moments creating the environment in your mind. Focus within that environment and spend no time focusing on the person you are reading for. Say aloud what you’re hearing from your spirit and continue to focus internally whilst saying aloud what you’re hearing. Ignore the person in the room and focus on the spirit person in your mind. Ignore worrying about the order and the detail of what you are relaying. Just keep that conversation flowing. There is where the evidence is, not in the room with the person. They are only the recipient.

Say everything you hear, without needing a validation from the recipient. Keep the flow going as long as you can. Don’t worry about listening to it yourself and analysing it, just share it without filter.

Here’s what you will discover. The recipient will tell you at the end how amazing some of the communication was. You may even impress yourself!

Some people might read this article and suggest that the process of listening to spirit has been over-simplified in these words. They would be incorrect. All mental mediumship works this way. The differences come in how each medium has learnt to trust themselves and how disciplined they are in using this process.

Too many mediums focus only on getting names, dates and information that’s evidence before they’ve learnt the art of listening internally without filtering, judgement, or alteration.

Our best mediums today, such as Paul Jacobs, Tim Abbott, Eileen Davis, Darren Brittain, and many other household known names, have been doing this from a very young age. They hear these voices inside with ease. They have established the environment internally and they trust.

A lot of emphasis is often placed on ‘Sitting In The Power’. Preparing ourselves through this process by learning to understand ourselves and in doing so, creating the right environment for the internal communications to happen.

Is this an important practice? Absolutely yes. It could be viewed as cleaning the internal environment. Understanding ourselves more and doing the preparation work for a lasting relationship with the spirit connect.

What I hope you’ve learnt from this article is that there really isn’t some magic power to working as a medium. Like any craft we learn, the more we practice, the better we get.

In this article I have deliberately simplified the process. The real secret in becoming a better medium is in how much you learn to develop these three abilities:

• TRUSTING

• PRACTICING

• ESTABLISHING A RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR HIGHER SELF

One of the first rules you will need to establish is denying your doubt to suppress you. If you find yourself talking internally with words such as “This is only me making this up”, you’re allowing yourself to be defeated before you’ve even begun.

Make extra effort to find a few minutes every day where you can work on that internal environment. Use the pond analogy if it helps. Learn the discipline of quietening the mind noise through focus. That is, after all, what meditation and sitting in the power is about.

Should you need to do this every time before working as a medium?

Possibly yes. The more you learn where this environment is, the easier it becomes to get there. Counting steps down is another analogy often used. But I stopped using that one years ago, because it needs the mind to decide when you are ‘down’ enough stairs. I found myself cheating it too much. The pond analogy, on the other hand, is a natural process of stilling the mind that doesn’t require our mind to state when we’re ready.

The more you work on this, the easier it becomes. Eventually, like many of the life-long mediums, you’ll learn to go to this internal place at ease and without needing to sit for minutes or hours preparing.

You are going to have to learn to talk internally though. That is the real secret. Talk with your own mind’s voice, and soon you’ll be realising that what you are hearing from yourself is from a source other than your own daily imagination.

Many mediums in our churches and venues are too concerned with their own presence, how they look, what people think of them, and other ego driven properties. Their depth of connection to the spirit world is therefore often shallow, flitty and without depth of content. Yes, stagecraft is important, but only after we have learnt the art of mediumship first.

My intentions through my words is not to clone myself. You are you and how you work is up to you. But I do hope that sharing these techniques will help you in some way to become better in your work with spirit.

Mediums have a difficult enough task as it is when it comes to proving their abilities. They offer themselves naked, metaphorically speaking, to strangers if they are doing their task correctly.

Unlike artistes in other public performances, the medium enters the public arena with no scripts. Other than stagecraft skills and a few well worked lines to glue their words together, the key ingredient is out of their hands. What key ingredient? Summed up in one word – evidence.

When a medium offers their services to an audience, be it a single person in a private environment, or a gathered audience in a venue, there is only one thing expected of them. That is evidence. Evidence that there is a continuation of life. Without it, the medium is like a painter without brushes. The role of the medium is to bring forward evidence from the person in spirit that they are continuing to live since their earthly demise.

A medium can be polished, confident, cheerful and even entertaining. But without revealing any evidence from the spirit world, they are missing their purpose.

But what exactly is evidence?

This is one of the most misunderstood aspects of mediumship and often judged wrongly by both the medium and the recipient. More often than not, evidence comes as a collection. Yes, it would be nice to receive names, dates, and the like, every single time. But the reality is that this form of evidence is not always going to be captured by the medium.

People tend to want to believe that if a medium is connected to someone in the spirit world, surely getting their name, address and earth date of birth is just a matter of asking for it? Those expectations only reflects the person’s lack of knowledge about the processes involved in the communication. There are many elements that the medium has to overcome for ‘pure’ communications. More often than we’d all like, the messages they relay are diluted or lost in the translation process between being received in the medium’s mind and being relayed through their voice.

When listening to a medium that is relaying a message to you, it pays dividends to record the session, take copious notes, and listen without expectations. The evidence may be subtle, but evidence none the less.

In a meditation one day, I had a friend that had passed over come through to me. At first, I doubted that she could have done so, so soon after her earthly passing. During her brief conversation with me, I recognised her voice in my mind. I recognised also her way of talking, the form of the words and the way she looked at me. But the clincher for me was when she made a specific movement with her eyes and her face that I could not have recalled with my own mind.

That was evidence without words and immediately allowed me to accept without question that she had connected with me.

Be alert for the tiny elements of the medium’s communication. Perhaps in the way they are standing, or the way they are using their hands. The way the medium repeats something, ticks in the wording, phrases and sayings. Remember that the medium should be bringing forward the essence of the person in spirit, not just the specific words you want to hear.

As a medium myself, I would suggest that there are many messages and communications from the spirit world that have failed to reach their intended recipients. Partially because the medium was slightly out in the wording or expression, but more so because the recipient was hoping for something specific that the medium hadn’t received or relayed.

Some mediums may not be attuned enough to carry out the task of mediumship to a high enough standard to satisfy their audience. It happens! No medium is guaranteed to be good every time. But so long as their intent is from a good place, and they’ve not taken money with false claims, that is how it rolls.

Gold nugget evidence comes with experience, with practice, and with an understanding of the process of mediumship. But the biggest mistake most new mediums make when getting to grips with their new craft, is by focussing too much on pleasing the recipient and not staying attuned to their connection.

Of course the medium should be seeking evidence to back up the connection, but that should not be the only focal point. As discussed earlier, strong evidence can come in many forms and not just through words alone. Mediums that filter their messages are often removing the actual evidence in error. Instead, the medium should report everything as it is happening.

“I’m sorry, but this person is picking their nose for some odd reason. . . “

or

“He’s very quiet with me. I’m not hearing him clearly. “

or

“I wish she’d stop swearing at me.”

All of those are pieces of evidence that could be vital to the recipient. But if the medium chooses to ignore them, evidence from the connection is lost.

In my humble experience and based on my own development, the worst condition a medium can find themselves in is in not trusting that the spirit person is present. They are, it’s just that the medium is not allowing themselves the freedom of expression for fear of ego damage.

I have developed a relationship of trust with my spirit connection through my work of transcribing the words of spirit (WFSIW). These days, I rarely seek evidence. Why? Because I know beyond question that the words I am transcribing are coming from a source higher than my own imagination.

By removing those two elements from my work, (trusting the spirit connect is there & wasting time seeking evidence that is not required), my communication link is stronger and free to flow without inhibitions. This in turn strengthens my connection.

So let me summarise. In a public situation, as a medium, you will be expected to reveal some evidence of a continuation of life. But that evidence may not only rely on specific words or facts, instead, on expressions, an essence of the person, or a tiny detail that would be unique to the person in spirit. The strength of the evidence will largely be due to the depth of the medium’s connection, and their experience in understanding what is and what isn’t good enough evidence.

As a recipient of a reading from a medium, there are things you should always be watching and listening out for. Look out for mannerisms of the medium, gestures, expressions, silly words, the way the medium is interacting with their connect, and many other tiny elements that might just prove the medium is connected to whom they claim to be.

5 MYTHS TO WATCH FOR

| A good medium will always reveal evidence.

Not so. Even the best mediums will occasionally fail.

| There aren’t that many good mediums.

There are more mediums capable of connecting with the spirit world than the few well known names of stage and television.

| Mediums are only any good if they were born with a gift.

Nonsense. They may be more stage-crafted, but age or experience plays only one part in the picture. A student can produce evidence from their mediumship after only days or weeks of learning. When the spirit world want to pass something on, they will find a way and a person.

| The more a medium charges, the better their experience.

Money has nothing to do with it. Many fine mediums rarely charge a fee at all.

| This medium is well known and has a big profile on social media.

And? We’re talking about mediumship abilities. This is not about publicity, egos or popularity. They might well be a great medium, but the words ‘international medium’ count for nothing in their abilities as a medium.

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 1st January 2024

It’s a brand new year, and we’re blessed to be here on Earth to experience it. Hopefully, some of us will undertake some goal-setting in the form of resolutions. Some of those should be based on your spiritual unfoldment. What it is you hope to achieve this year and how you intend to unfold more of your potential.

There are many ways we can sharpen our senses ready for better clarity needed for communicating with the other side. Often, you’ll be able to pick up a few tips and techniques at a local spiritual church workshop, online and in books. Tim Abbott has released two wonderful books primary based on simple, easy to follow exercises for the purpose of raising your personal standards of communication with the spirit world. Invest in yourself and get a copy.

TIM ABBOT BOOK

If you don’t have any spare cash, there are still many things you can do to improve your sensitivity. Let us start with your hearing for example. Here is the link to a YouTube video in which you will hear many voices talking at the same time. Text on the screen will ask you questions about the voices as you listen.

This is hard work, but will help you sharpen your focus on one single voice whilst ignoring the others.

It’s December 9th 2023 and a few moments ago there was movement detected on the Ring camera positioned to view our home front door and driveway. The view from the camera is one of rain, lots of rain. The weather has been like that for weeks in our home region of the country. It was just a raindrop on the lens that triggered the detection. I just smiled.

My laptop sits on this table nicely positioned for my use. I’m sat under the welcome shade of a patio shelter outdoors. I’m not sheltering from rain though, that is rather more rare here. We’re in Lanzarote enjoying another two weeks at our favourite location.

I’m wearing shorts and a tee-shirt with sandal crocks on my feet and my trusty Fedora is keeping company with my sunglasses alongside me. This is my heaven on earth! Jane is in her heaven on earth place too. She is lay on a sunbed in the hot sun, and positioned next to the pool. She has everything she wants with her. A Kindle, her cigarettes and ashtray, sunglasses and a towel.

I swear one of her previous lives was as a lizard, a famous inhabitant of this island. When the sun comes out, Jane heads into it, creamed to the eyeballs and ready for her epic tanning session that would last until sunset, if she were allowed that freedom.

This year we will have spent ten weeks all together in Lanzarote. But if you didn’t already know, I can’t just rest and do nothing. I have to be busy doing something, such as flying my drone, taking photos, meditating, automatic writing, playing with my Tarot, and writing content such as this.

Every day in some fashion, I am working on myself and my connection with the spirit world. Yes, every day. I’ve had this routine since the Covid thing. I was forced to retire from my day job and was of an age we both decided was close enough to retirement to make that move.

Retirement means different things to different people. There are those that believe it’s akin to entering God’s waiting room. These people fear not having any routine, losing a social life, their work comrades, and often, a regular income to sustain them.

That’s not what retirement is for me. Honestly, I don’t even know why I use the phrase! My life is packed with stuff to do every day, and Jane would quickly add, stuff that needs doing too! I haven’t got time to do nothing! I often joke with God that I’m not ready to go home yet mate – too busy here. I do hope he listens!

This morning, when I opened the lid of this laptop, I got excited. I gathered all my stuff that I might need and proceeded to open a blank draft sheet for The Inspired Spirit. I had no idea what I was going to write about. I had no plan, other than I was going to write an article. For around a minute or so, I stared at the logo for The Inspired Spirit. And then I knew what I would write about today. It was all in the title.

I can’t believe I came up with that title, The Inspired Spirit. It is so bang on the nail in describing me and my new life these days. Every day in some small or large way, I am inspired in my work with the spirit world. I am constantly learning new things about myself and the connection. As Glyn Edwards once said, “The more you learn, the more you’ll find there is more to learn.”

Many other mediums put themselves out there in the public eye and present themselves as the complete article, so to speak. Internationally renowned, expert in this and that, medium to the celebrities, and available at a price. My portfolio would read, – Trevor, the psychic apprentice, flawed, incomplete and impressed by nobody!

For me, the spirit connection is just a directed thought away. Those unfortunate to have to work with me from the other side are constantly frustrated by me. I must surely annoy the hell out of them. But I know they are with me. I witness their miracles, almost daily. I understand that when they communicate with me, and for that matter all of us, it would be their last resort to have to use just words.

Words are limiting, restricted to specific meanings and often void of the wider sentiments. Instead, the spirit world use feelings, emotions, instincts, intuition, life experiences, and so many other ways to communicate with us. If they have to use words, they are obviously struggling to get through to us, and the fault lies with us only.

This year I have been the channel for many spectacular miracles of proof that life continues. I’ve been responsible for uniting many people with their loved ones in the spirit world with evidence that I still find staggering to believe. One of my more recent examples was when a man in the spirit world kept shouting at me, one single word.

I wanted to ignore it, until I realised it must be important. The word he shouted was ‘Amputee’ over and over again. Nothing more, just that one word. It was enough. When I said it to the recipient, he declared without hesitation that it was his father. He’d lost part of a leg from the knee down. What an incredible miracle of communication between the two worlds.

Over just the months of this year, I have witnessed tears of joy, excitement and happiness. I’ve witnessed scepticism wiped away as ‘gold nuggets’ of evidence have been received and forwarded through my hesitant lips. I’ve witnessed the undeniable proof that indeed, life continues after the earth one ends.

Am I anything special? Absolutely not, nor should it be thought of that way. I am just an inspired person with an inspired spirit, working with passion, belief and a knowing. I share these words today, not to impress or endorse myself – I could do without that nonsense. I do so in the belief that you too have the same driving force within you.

If you don’t recognise yourself in these words, then work on it. Make it become your reality. Become your own inspired spirit.

Now then, it is time to close this episode. The sun is blazing down on Jane and I need to get her some fluid. I will be shortly doing a meditation and sitting for some more automatic writing, a new message from my spirit team. I’ll then play with my cameras and drone perhaps, go for a walk, make dinner for us and breath in more of this fresh clean air. Thank you for supporting me during this year past.

Originally Published on Substack: 111223

COVER IMAGE – photo of Anna & Frank Gravestone

It was Christmas Eve in 2009 when I sat at the hospital bedside of my Mum, with my brother, sister and other close relatives. Mum was not going to live much longer. She was riddled with cancer and now seemingly in a state of unconsciousness.

As the day passed slowly passed into the evening, Mum’s body continued to fight to stay alive. We knew that was what she was doing – fighting to remain on earth. My brother and I remained with her throughout those dark hours, knowing that any one of her slow, snatched and shallow breaths could be the last one.

As midnight drew nearer, we remarked that it would be typical of Mum to hang on until Christmas day. And she did. Shortly into the very early hours of the 25th Mum did indeed take her final breath on earth.

At the time, all of us remarked how Christmas day was now always going to be the day Mum passed. Like a drop of black paint added to pure white paint, there was a tiny sense of annoyance that the one special day of the year was now forever slightly different.

Everyone of us will have stories of a loved one passing over on a special date. Fact is that passing away on Christmas day is extremely common and the chances of dying on that day is higher than any other day of the year.

A Swiss study also discovered that there is a 14% more chance of dying on your own birthday. How about that for timing? When combined with the higher chance of dying on Christmas day, it’s clear to appreciate that somewhere, someone is going to lose a relative or friend on either of those two dates.

But add your own birth date, and all the dates of others in the close family circle to the mix. Then add anniversary dates, such as weddings, retirements, operations, holiday dates, bank holidays, and so on you’ll soon realise that if we could have a choice of when our loved one passes, there would be fewer dates than you could imagine to choose from.

My family all believed that my Mum deliberately passed on Christmas day, because that’s what she’d have chosen to do. She liked the attention and loved being in the spotlight. The truth is, this is another kind of pathetic fallacy, where the conditions match the occasion.

Of course, the truth is, I don’t know what deep inner thoughts are going on in those final hours. Perhaps some instinctive desire to survive was still working within Mum and she’d set a goal to make it to Christmas for her own reasons. But my belief is that when the moment comes, we have zero control of when it will be. Dates and times don’t play any role in the afterlife. They are merely ways we mark our life here on earth on a linear timeframe.

But if you were looking for evidence to support a weak claim that more people pass on Christmas day than any other, here’s a list of ten well-known people that left this world on the 25th of December.

• George Michael

• Dean Martin

• Charlie Chaplin

• James Brown

• Eartha Kitt

• Yoshihito

• WC Fields

• Jim ‘Motorhead’ Sherwood

• Ray Illingworth

• Janice Long

I chose those names from an extremely long list I found on the internet.

But this is not evidence that Christmas day is any more popular a day to die. I then search for folks that have passed on my birthday. The list was equally as long, as it would be for any date, though I was impressed to discover that George Gershwin left this world as I arrived!

So, although I’ve looked at this somewhat light-heartedly, the day and date we pass is nothing more than that. As far as I’m aware, we have no choice, if our passing is natural and not brought on by means of human intervention. The chances are extremely high that when you or I pop our clogs, someone will be a little annoyed that it was on their special day.

But as I end this article, perhaps for the fun of it, consider what day of the year you would choose to pass, if you had a say. For me, I think it would be on my birth date. That would save some money on the memorial plate!

Originally Published on Substack: 041223

I’ve always had a fascination with the age-old debate as to whether we really do have free-will to live our lives as we want, choosing each direction we take and thereby determining our final destiny.

I wrote about this topic in another article recently, where I stated my position in the debate. As a reminder, I don’t believe we do have free will, that is, total control of our destiny in this life. The original article for WFSIW included words spoken to me by a speaker in the spirit world.

Instead of calling it free will, the speaker suggested we should be careful not to get it mixed up with ‘freedom of expression’. I was enlightened by that new phrase. It appeared to define a difference between the absoluteness of free will, as I believe we don’t have real control, and decisions that we each make every day of our life.

We express ourselves through our words, our actions and our decisions. That is our freedom of expression. But I remain resolute that we do not have complete control of our free will. I believe that our life on this planet is somewhat predetermined. The challenge with making such a statement comes with a risk of offending those that are suffering from major illnesses. They might argue that there is no way they would ever have chosen such a life of pain and suffering before they arrived here. I agree with them entirely.

But the big problem with this argument is that so long as we are living as mere mortals on this planet as biologically solid forms, we can never know what forces were at work before we came here. We have no way of truly knowing what our soul is striving for from this life.

Our destiny in this life, I believe, is predetermined. Of course, problems with our body can appear to change the course, or decisions we make may appear to alter the destination, but the truth is, we don’t really know. There are arguments for, and against my belief of us not having true free will.

This is why I loved the phrase introduced by the speaker in spirit – freedom of expression. How we express ourselves through this life is entirely up to us as unique individuals. Our spoken word, our fashion and décor tastes, our food likes and dislikes, our habits, hobbies, career choices, manners, characteristics, personality and so much more, reflects our freedom of expression.

Example of a definition in one dictionary

Free Will:

– Voluntary choice or decision. (example: I do this of my own free will.)

– freedom of humans to make choices that are not determined by prior causes or by Divine intervention.

After the original article was published, I received a few comments from readers. In this first response, the reader puts forward an argument suggesting that they believe that animals display free will. Here’s their words:

Dear Trevor.

As an animal communicator, I see the effects of animals using their free will often. Dogs, when arriving at their new families, will jump the highest fence to get away, if they don’t like them. They are usually gone within a day.

I always advise the animal shelter that brought them to this family not to bring the dog back, when found, but to find them a new family. Many cats are leaving their families right now, because of the negative energy.

When you hug a tree and listen to its sage advice, you realize that trees live in families and make decisions as to where they stand and how they interact with each other. The free will is underground in their roots.

Don’t rich kids get a carte blanche to shop anything their hearts desired? No limits. Shop till you drop over? I think the speaker was talking about today’s environment in social media where the tone is absolutely aggressive and unkind. I have people telling me I should colour my hair, buy other clothes. Their remarks are neither kind or uplifting. Appearance competence.

People listen to what I say. This is a difficult skill. How to I get peoples’ attention, to listen to me? You need this competence to be a good team player. I teach this in my classes.

Although the speaker said that this message was philosophical, it was difficult reading, it didn’t flow. Usually there is an example that illustrates the point, that was missing here. I felt that the speaker was not an educated person but very proud of what he could accomplish on the other side. He most definitely was a kind person, maybe someone who worked in a leading role in a team, i.e. construction worker or factory supervisor.

This was a long piece, the words came flying out. Wishing you a nice day.

Very interesting comments. But I can’t define from what the reader says regarding animals whether that is true free will, or the dog’s way of expressing their feelings through the freedom of expression. Other paragraphs also suggest a freedom of expression rather than real evidence of free will.

The reader is correct when suggesting that the speaker’s argument was weak and without evidential foundation. But isn’t that the point? Whilst we live life here on earth, and perhaps thereafter in the next world, we cannot prove we have true free will.

Another reader wrote the following comments in support of free will.

Thank you very much Trevor and your Spirit Communicator/Friend.

I have chosen for one feature wall in my bedroom, Raspberry Diva, the other 3 walls are white, and very nice it looks too!

We had a dog many years ago, a border terrier, Oz. If we went on holiday leaving him with my Dad, (who spoilt him rotten) we would come home to a dog who decided to sit with his back to us for a few days, to let us know he was upset for being left. Bless him.

As for plants – when speaking to my cousin the other day, I remarked that my garden is still looking beautiful and many of my plants were still thriving. She, on the other hand, said pretty much all of hers had died (she lives in Scotland) with only one Dahlia remaining out of six purchased, I asked her if she talks to her plants, telling them how beautiful they are? She said she didn’t, but she does tell them off for not performing well. I laughed and said, “no wonder they don’t want to stay around”! Luckily she laughed too!

Again, I can only see evidence of a freedom of expression in those stories, rather than evidence of a Divine free will. The bedroom décor and the dog’s attitude were from a freedom of expression. Regarding the flowers, I think the reader stumbled on the reason for the difference in the different state of their gardens when stating the friend lives in Scotland, where the seasons are different to those in England, especially further south.

If I were to take the time and write a book on the subject of free will, I can only think of two things it would prove. One, how no matter what I cited as evidence, I would not be able to prove either way that we really do have true free will. Two, how boring the book would be and how useless the contents!

In conclusion

I remain of the belief that we don’t have free will regarding the destination of our life on earth, possibly not in the next world either. The debate is just that – a debate with no final answer. I base my belief on the evidence, all be it minor, that I have acquired through my education and experience from working with the spirit world. I have adopted the speaker’s suggestion that the choices we make are often only our freedom of expression.

If I choose to end my life, or some earthly intervention ends it for me, there is no evidence to support that it was my own Divine free will at work. But I am open to learn more about the topic and although I don’t believe we have true free will, my mind remains open to the possibilities we indeed do. But I will require evidence!

ORIGINAL AI PODCAST VERSION

THANK YOU

I would like to thank everyone that takes the time to leave their comments for us all to read, in particular the readers responsible for the ones quoted in this article. I’m sure we’ll all revisit this debate at some point during our remain time on earth!

Originally Published: 271123

Whilst outside in the cold, brushing up leaves this morning, I heard the words, “common denominator” echoing in my mind. I knew that it was being suggested to me that I should write an article on the subject for The Inspired Spirit. But what to write about this subject was still a mystery, until I started this.

I sat at my desk and woke the computer screen from its sleep state. The app that was open on the desktop was WhatsApp. My attention was drawn to the two groups that I’m part of, in particular, the one created for Jane and I and our recent new holiday friends we met in Lanzarote.

It was at that moment, I realised what the connection with that and today’s title was. The more I let my mind open up into creativity mode, the more I realised how this mathematical term means to us in life.

I won’t waste time explaining what a common denominator is, I’m sure you all remember it from the school years. If you don’t, quickly check it out on the internet. It’s words that sound far more complicated than what they mean.

I must confess though, I’m making all of the following words up as I go. I’ve no qualifications as such, though my life experiences count for a whole lot in these later years.

|| THE INTEREST LINK

Our new friends in the Republic of Ireland are fabulous people, and we love knowing them. We met because they were our neighbours from our last villa holiday. We hit it off immediately and spent several nights into the wee small hours chatting and drinking.

They are both Catholics, I’m a Spiritualist. Our chatting included both subjects and were light-hearted and friendly. In those final few days together, we made the easy decision of swapping contact details and Mary (not her real name) suggested starting a WhatsApp group when we all got back to our homes.

For the first few days and weeks, we were messaging each other very frequently about stuff we were involved in. They have sons who are leading racing car drivers in their class. This was something that interested me, so I showed interest.

As the days passed and the holiday faded back into the archives of our memories, the text conversations slowed down. As I looked at the open WhatsApp group title this morning I realised something important. Our common denominator was not so common.

It was of course, our neighbouring villas on our recent holiday that brought us together. That was the common denominator. We don’t live close enough together to meet up occasionally. Our lifestyles are different, as are our personal interests and daily routines. The truth is, without that common denominator, we would most likely have never met and become friends.

I’m not concerned though. There are other aspects of our lives that will keep us as friends, and one day we might well share more time together on our paradise island. We are friends and will continue to be, at least I hope so. Other not-so-common denominators will work to keep us together. I’m half Irish and could apply for an Irish passport. We all love Lanzarote. I gave them evidence-packed readings. There’s three more common denominators!

|| WHAT IS OUR COMMON DENOMINATORS

You , reading this, and me, writing it. What unites us as friends? Perhaps you’d like to stop reading for a moment or two and give it some thought. If you want, you can share your thoughts in the comments below. I know what you’ll likely say!

The more you give thought to friendship common denominators, the more you’ll realise that without them being present, some friendships would be stretched. The common denominators are there, but you might have to think about what they are.

|| WHY MIGHT THIS BE IMPORTANT IN OUR MEDIUMSHIP?

During my time as a medium, more often than not, I have found that those connecting with me from the spirit world have revealed a common denominator. They mention a hobby, a pastime, or an interest they had that I can relate to.

They might share a habit or a way of living I might understand. They might talk to me about cars of their era, descriptions of their homes and details I could relate to, such as gardening, DIY, etc.

I like it when I find a common denominator from the connection. I feel it strengthens the temporary relationship. They’re not always going to be obvious, but when we consider the words us mediums use, we can tell when we’ve found a common denominator. The medium that declares, “I like this person,” or “I would have got on with her/him”. That’s a subtle sign that unknowingly, the medium has bonded through a common denominator.

This is an interesting tool we could store in our mental toolkit. Ask the person in the spirit world, “What would you and I have had in common?” or similar, “Do you believe you would have related to me when you were this side, and if so, why?”

The worst case could be that there wouldn’t have been any obvious common denominators. Fair enough – nothing lost in trying to find one though?

|| USING COMMON DENOMINATORS

Whether for the work we do as mediums, or in everyday life, seeking the common denominators between us and the other person is a useful tool for creating a relationship. Often, these links will be obvious, while occasionally, the link may need to be worked out. But it’s a wonderful people skill to have and to be aware of.

Think about it for a moment as we wrap this article up. Outside of our shared interest in working with the spirit world, what common denominators joins you and I? There are many, I am sure, but which common denominators comes to mind?

One final thought. Do you recall what the opening graphic in this article read? Now scroll back to the beginning and read it again.

Originally Published: 201123

The day started like any other. Jane and myself were to go shopping for a new recliner chair for Jane. She made sure that her Mum, Barbara, knew that we’d not be around for a few hours, asking whether there was anything she needed while we were out. Barbara said no and we felt confident we could leave her safely at her home for a few hours.

Although Barbara was fiercely independent and living in her own home, Jane visited her at least once every day. Barbara was in her nineties, of apparent reasonable health and content with her life. But today was to change all that.

Barbara chose to pop off in her car to a local Coop and pick up a few supplies that included a packet of Coop brand luxury mince pies. As she left the shop with her shopping bags, she started to cross the road back across to her parked car. But she never made it to the other side.

We believe she experienced a major bleed on her brain causing her to collapse immediately into the gutter. According to passers-by that immediately rushed to the spot, Barbara was conscious for a few minutes, able to apologise for her state of being.

It was nearly an hour later before an ambulance turned up, by which time Barbara was in a coma. She never came around again. Barbara passed to the spirit world on 1st December 2022 aged 93.

We are often reminded that tomorrow is not guaranteed for us. Today, this hour, this minute, could be our last this side of life. But when you hear that somewhat morbid sentiment, do you brush it aside and believe that you are different? I most certainly do, and it was definitely what Barbara would have done.

Jane and myself have some small comfort in knowing Barbara is back, reunited with her life-long husband and family. We have received evidence of that through my mediumship. But it doesn’t stop us missing her presence on earth. Hardly a day goes by where we don’t talk about her or Dad, her husband.

We live with the peace of knowing that, even if there hadn’t been issues with the ambulance service and she’d been kept alive, her life thereafter would have been dramatically different. The peace for us comes in knowing that apart from the actual brain bleed, she never suffered days, weeks or months of pain and disease.

The events that day changed the way Jane and I view the future. Nothing is guaranteed. We know that the time to enjoy life and to do the things we want to do is now. Not next year, or the distant future, now this week, this month or as soon as we can.

As we approach the first anniversary of Barbara’s passing, we cherish all the memories, the photos, the videos and the good times we had with her. She remains around us and part of us. I believe she would be saying to us very loudly, get and do the things you want while you’re able to. Tomorrow is a gift that may not be delivered to you.

Originally Published: 131123

Cover Image: Picture of Susan with OB Plate

A few days ago, I received an email from someone called Jon. In the short message, he claimed he knew me from years ago and had been trying to contact me for a number of years. He asked if I would contact him back as a matter of urgency.

Unsure who Jon was, though I had an inkling, I responded by asking for more details. Jon replied quickly and reminded me he was the husband of Susan P, who I once worked with twenty years ago.

After he’d validated who he was, I arranged to phone him later that afternoon. After a few minutes of opening pleasantries, he got straight to the point.

“I need your help Trevor.” he said.

I was unsure what he meant by this. He then broke the news to me. Susan was dead. I was shocked. I sat at my office desk, wanting to cry. I could not comprehend the news properly. Susan was about my age, we’d worked together for a number of years and got on very well. She was like me in that she had found her true love later in life and was happier than most could ever realise for it.

In the early noughties, I was new to this way of life and Susan was one of the few in the office that tolerated my new obsession, with an interest in it of her own. But the company went into financial troubles and I left to go my own way to set up a courier business. Soon after, Susan also left, as did others from the company. We never spoke again.

Being a more ‘professional’ medium now, I somehow knew that I should not ask Jon the details of Susan’s passing. I explained to him how knowing would only become an obstacle if I were to connect with her. This is exactly what Jon wanted, and needed, me to do.

That is as much as I’m going to share with you about that story for this episode. I don’t have Jon’s permission and although I believe he would agree, I’m not prepared to share anything more yet, suffice to say, Susan did come through to me with incredible evidence of her continuation of life.

I had hoped the telephone call had brought some comfort to Jon. His heart was torn apart and life had become a struggle without the only person he cared about missing from it.

The sentiment that Jon repeated to me time and time again during our conversation was, live today because tomorrow may be too late. I’ve always believed that to be the best approach, more so as I grow older.

It involves another one of those fine-line balances though. Of course we have to be realistic, save some money for the future, plan ahead and live life as normally as we can. But we should also keep in mind that although we may be alive and well today, tomorrow is another story waiting to be revealed.

Share your love with those that matter most to you, today. Let them know what they mean to you. You can’t overdo this, contrary to what some might lead you to believe. I always say to Jane, when she tells me to stop saying I love her, that she can’t stop me telling her! “If I want to tell you I love you, I will!”

Jon’s life ahead is an uphill climb. He has to rebuild his life and come to terms with his loss. But he will, I am sure of that. He now knows that Susan remains around him and wants him to find some peace within himself.

Let me finish this with a repeat of Jon’s message to me, and really to all of us. Live life today as if there is no tomorrow. Don’t put off doing things until a time that may never come. _🔹

MEDIUMSHIP IS A PRIVILEGE

I’m humbled to be a medium and being able to connect with the other side. It’s one thing I take seriously. Like so many other mediums, I consider myself an ambassador for the spirit world. It’s not entertainment. Mediumship brings with it a duty of care, of compassion and of setting a high standard for the role.

When I share stories, such as the one about Jon, I do so in the hope that others may appreciate that being a medium is not a party trick, or a cash cow, or a way to seek fame. It’s a way of life that brings with it so much hope, love, and comfort to those we are called upon to help.

There is no such word as un-word. What we say as mediums count, every single word. So choose with care, think before speaking, and always remember your duty of care.

Originally Published: 061123

Cover Image; Photo of Renacres Hospital

Jane was finally in a private hospital in Lancashire to have her painful lower leg swelling sorted. We had been waiting for this November day for some months, after the private consultant diagnosed exactly what was causing the swellings in her ankle and foot.

When someone suffers constant pain, those around them can only sympathise and show compassion. But they do not feel the pain, the anguish, and all too easily forget that the person is having to adapt and adjust to their awful situation. I know, because I have been guilty of forgetting Jane was in pain. On holidays, or wherever we went together, I would ask Jane to walk quicker, or further, selfishly unaware that she was suffering severe pain.

On Wednesday 1st November, I escorted Jane to the hospital for her arranged operation. Whilst I waited outside in the car, I found myself going through a range of emotions. Love, hurt, loneliness, fear, and even tears.

It is often said that one finds out how much they love someone close to them when the other person has gone or is in a desperate situation away from them. As I sat in the car for a number of hours, I had time to think. The lady I love more than anyone else ever was away from me in this hospital, that I could only watch from outside its walls. Inside, she would be suffering pain and discomfort, although temporary, and I wanted to be alongside her to hold her hand and reassure her how much I loved her.

As I sat there in the car, watching the window of the ward room Jane was in, I was reminded of, not only how much I love her, but how my own life would have probably panned out without her being part of it.

Twenty four years earlier, I had been in a dark place in my life. I’d been made redundant from my job, I was separated from my wife at the time, away from my three children, my car had been stolen and my father just passed away. I was alone, broke and in debt. I recall standing at the window of my first floor flat in Weymouth, watching an homeless person bed down in a shop doorway opposite. “There but for the grace of God, go I” I thought.

I contemplated suicide, for a few minutes. But for whatever reasons, I decided against that. I prayed to God, even though I was not religious in any way, asking for help to get me out of this crisis I was in. My life was a mess and there appeared no way out but to end it all.

From the moment I met Jane through the internet I was madly in love with her. She was beautiful and way beyond my league. She was educated with a degree, had a profession of standing, was financially secure and honestly, could have chose any man she wanted. I was broke, in debt, divorced, jobless and even without transport. Yet, over those early weeks of getting to know her, she seen something in me.

Since those days, we are now rarely apart. I often pinch myself when I realise how lucky I am. That prayer to the Divine was answered. The stupid dream pictures I had on my freezer at that time all came to fruition. The fancy big house, the nice car, financial security, someone to love and to love me. There is no doubt in my mind that without the Divine sending Jane into my path, my life would not have come to anything worthwhile.

Those of us that are deeply in love with another person will find it almost impossible to explain to anyone else how much they love that person. There are no words. It is beyond any description. The why, the reasons, the entire knowing, are the most powerful example of Clairsentience we can have.

While I waited in the car, watching Jane’s temporary hospital room window, I cried as the emotions caught up with me. My special lady, my soulmate, my life – how the Divine sent an angel to rescue me. Divine, take away her pain and suffering this day.

That was something I’d been praying for for many months. I’d spent night after night in healing sessions on her while asking the Divine to intervene. Of course, that happened. Today was the start of the repair, the recovery, the intervention from the Divine, as requested.

I share my story with you, so you may take a few moments to ‘count your blessings’. Tell that special person, that partner, that parent, that animal, how much you love them. Jane reckons I tell her about 500 times every day!

As students of mediumship, the more we learn about the processes involved, the more we will come to realise that communication with the invisible world is not limited to the spoken word. In fact, relying only on words will limit one’s ability to receive many more communications from the other side.

Let me refresh us on the more common ways we can receive a message, a piece of evidence, or a direct communication other than with words.

Through the art of clairgustance a medium can use their taste sense to detect an often valuable piece of information during a reading. This often combines with another of a medium’s senses, that of clairsalience, clear smells. This type of communication is more common than one might at first imagine. Most experienced mediums will have stories of when they picked up scents such as perfumes, cigarettes, and even body odours from the person in the spirit world.

One of the most popular methods used by the majority of mediums is that of claircognisance (claircognizance). Simply known as clear knowing. This is a really difficult form of communication with the other side to explain. It reaches beyond any physical or mental communications. One explanation might be that the information is passed to our subconscious mind where we unknowingly translate it into a gut feeling which renders us certain of the information, but without understanding why.

Again this sense is closely related to another common clair sense and that is clairsentience – clear feeling. In other words, being able to detect information through your body. As you can appreciate, it’s often difficult to define exactly what the chain of events is when we receive a piece of evidence.

Those abilities mentioned so far rely on the medium’s internal senses being attuned and ready to receive such information, none of which rely solely on words and language.

But There’s More!

The spirit world don’t stop there when it comes to getting a communication across. They will often use our physical world to put the message in our path. I’ve shared the following personal story in the past, but it’s worth repeating again, about the time I was driving a long distance and was hungry. As a diabetic, I need to be aware of my blood glucose levels. On this particular day, I hadn’t eaten yet and still had four hours drive ahead of me, with only a pack of sandwiches with me to eat.

I didn’t want to eat the sandwiches too early because of the length of the journey and the urgent cargo I was carrying had to be delivered non-stop. But I was worried about my blood levels being too low.

I asked my spirit guide, Saki, to give me a sign as to whether I should eat now or leave it. Within a few seconds, my van was overtaken by another van carrying the answer.

Coincidence? No, far too direct to not be a message from my spirit guide. This method of communication from the spirit world is more common than one might at first consider. Probably everyone, and not just attuned people, will be able to share at least one story of when they felt someone in spirit was giving them a physical sign of their presence.

There are challenges with this form of communication though. The first problem lies with the recipient. All too quickly people tend to want to find a logical answer as to why the incident happened at that moment. Of course, often there are genuine rational reasons. Receiving a random white feather on your lap, when you’re sat next to a bird aviary is hardly evidence of a communication!

The best forms of external communication from the spirit world are those that are very clear, such as my answer from Saki. The communication is clear, yet contains no use of spoken words or language. My requested answer was obvious.

It’s also wonderful if one can use a camera to capture the very moment, as a permanent reminder that the message was received. In the example above, I was able to ring-fence my dashcam footage and extract the photo later.

A medium that relies only on their mind for communication is ignoring many other ways that their spirit connect can pass on a communication. The two important rules to remember are: 1) Remain aware for the communication after asking and 2) accepting it when it is received.

After a recent edition of ‘The Inspired Spirit’ I received an email from Marianne Bolli, a medium and subscriber. Here is what she shared with me.

“A friend of mine had to go to the funeral of his awful mother-in-law. I told him to look to the skies for a message. On the day of the funeral, some small dark cloud appeared and created the picture of a witch on a broom.”

“I will send you the pictures by email. The witch had moved on, how nice was that?”

I have Marianne’s permission to publish this story.

Photo 1

Photo 2

Someone’s guides were having fun here! I’ve examined the photo closely in my graphic package and I cannot detect any photoshopping present. So for me, this is evidence of a spirit world communication.

Conclusion

Don’t limit your communications with the spirit world to just words heard in your mind. There are so many other ways that you can receive a message, if you’re ready for it, that is!

Imagine you open your morning post to find an invitation to a forthcoming mediums convention. You have been personally selected to attend, based on your mediumship abilities. Included is the date, times and place, all are convenient for you and you immediately want to book your place – it’s free.

You turn up on the day and nervously observe the hall contains many more mediums from across the world. The hall is heaving with a gathering of the most well known and finest mediums. As you stand at the back ready to take a seat, you scan your eyes around the room and immediately pick out plenty of familiar faces to you.

An official invites you to take a seat wherever you want. That introduces your first dilemma that will psychologically give a clue to your confidence in your own mediumship. Do you take a seat near the front of the stage or do you opt for a seat nearer the back where you can sit quietly without bringing attention to yourself?

• OPTION 1: You chose the back: Why? Are you not proud of your abilities? Are you timid and don’t want to be seen as over-eager?

• OPTION 2: You chose the front row: Why? Do you want to be sure to hear whatever is being said, even though there is a small chance you might be picked as a subject? Do you want to be seen by others? Are you so confident and proud of your mediumship that you didn’t give it another thought?

You notice that many people have a notebook and recorder. Did you bring one? If not, why not? Or you notice that you’re the only one with a notebook and recorder? Would you discretely put it back in your pocket so as not to look different, or do you leave it on your lap knowing that you will want to use it?

The host is introduced to the stage to a rapturous reception. The atmosphere is exciting. Within a few moments the host says the following:

“ Ladies and gentlemen. Below each of your seats is a piece of paper with one question on it. Would you bend down and take your sheet please.”

You read the question.

On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being poor, and 10 being brilliant, what grade would you give your mediumship?

The host asks you to put a number that you believe is accurate for your level and you duly do so.

The host then asks you all to fold up your paper, so your answer is hidden and then invites everyone to come to the front and put their piece of paper in a bin that is in front of the stage. You do so, and then return to your seat.

Are you sat there thinking about your choice, wondering if you were over or under confident? Are you worried about what might happen next? Nothing more is said about that exercise until the afternoon session.

While you were enjoying dinner, the organisers had taken all the sheets of paper from the bin and sorted them into 10 smaller bins, numbered 1 to 10. As you return to your seat, you can see these numbered bins on the stage. You know which bin contains your piece of paper. But you believe that it didn’t have your name on anyway, so there’s nothing to worry about, right?

You learn from the host again that each of you in the hall had been carefully selected for this special event. The audience, of which you are one, is made up of people that are known to be devoted to their work with the spirit world. Some of the attendees are ‘big name’ mediums, some of which you might have said hello to during the lunch break.

The host now informs you all that there are now going to be just three demonstrations, each no longer than 10 minutes in length. Each will be chosen from three of the numbered bins on stage. It is now that the host reveals that each sheet had the seat number on, hidden with ultraviolet ink.

Are you suddenly feeling a little nervous? Was your chosen grade a low one or a high one?

The host then reveals that before the demonstration begins, two of the bins are to be removed. Which two do you think will be removed? Nobody chose number 1 as their grade, and the host asks for it to be carried off the stage. Nobody attending, even you have chosen number 1. You make a note in your notebook. What would you write?

What bin do you think was the second and why?

It was number 10. That surprises you. The host makes an announcement as number 10 bin is lifted for removal.

There was a pause. As the backstage assistant neared the stage exit with the bin, the host shouts, “Stop a moment please. Take the lid off the bin. Now turn it upside down and allow the contents to fall on the stage.”

Everyone is rivetted for the reveal. You know you didn’t choose that high grade. How many could there be amongst this room full of well-known mediums that chose number 10 as their grade? How many believe they are the best and wrote 10 on their paper? How many do you think

As the stage assistant removed the lid from number 10 bin and turned it upside down, there was a gasp from the audience. One medium in the room had written number 10 on their sheet. The host asks for the UV light so to reveal the medium’s seat number. Meanwhile in the audience, a stage assistant quietly goes to the ‘number 10’ seat and whispers something to the medium seated there. The medium quietly stands and leaves the hall.

The host speaks as the stage shows just 8 bins remaining. “If anyone in this room, filled with the finest mediums in the world, thinks they are that good, they’re not true mediums.”

What have you just learnt and what would you write on your notebook?

You believe the 10 minute demonstrations are about to commence. You might believe the odds of you being chosen have increased, psychologically speaking, though of course, only one medium has so far been eliminated.

The host speaks again, “Ladies and gentlemen, there is another bin that is empty.” The host requests a backstage assistant to come back on. When they do, the host whispers in the assistant’s ear which third bin they wish to have removed. Which bin do you think it would be?

The assistant walks off stage carrying the number 9 bin. The host announces, “number 9 bin was empty.”

What are you thinking now? What notes would you now make from what you’ve just learnt? The obvious note would be that none of the remaining well known mediums from around the world have considered themselves as good enough for those top grades.

Now it’s getting interesting. Have the odds of you being picked now increased, even though only one medium has yet been eliminated?

“Please come back on the stage,” the host calls to the stage assistant. “Could you reveal the contents of bin number 2.”

The assistant takes off the lid from bin number 2 and tips the bin upside down on the stage. Again, nothing fell out. The bin was also empty. There is a murmur around the hall, and yet again you make a note of that in your notebook. What did you write? What could you learn from that?

So far, bins 1, 2, 9 and 10 have been eliminated. Should you not be feeling more confident that your mediumship, as you understand it, is not that extremely different from everyone else’s? The range of grades on the remaining bins on the stage are now 3 to 8, everyone, including yourself is somewhere in that range of thinking. Six grades covers the finest mediums in the world.

The host announces, “Shall we begin the first demonstration?”

The host takes the lid off a bin and reaches in to select a random piece of paper. The bin he chooses is number 5. An ultraviolet light is used to reveal the seat number.

How are you feeling now? Nervous or relieved?

The seat number is revealed and it’s not you this time? You can relax and enjoy the demonstration.

If you graded yourself 5/10 had you been secretly hoping you’d be selected? Was your grade higher than 5 or lower?

After the selected medium completes their 10 minute demonstration, the host reveals that the second demonstrations has already been pre-selected during the lunch break. One of the two remaining mediums to demonstrate could be you!

How are you feeling? Have your nerves really kicked in now, or are you steadying your thoughts, ready to do a demonstration of mediumship if you are called? The first of the two remaining pre-selected mediums is called to the stage by seat number. It’s not you again. Are you relieved or disappointed to have not had the opportunity?

While you wait for the host to announce the final demonstration, you glance at the notes you have made from what you’ve learnt so far.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” the host announces. “I would like someone to volunteer to be the final medium to demonstrate. Please put your hands in the air if you’d like to be that medium.”

Would you be one of the mediums that doesn’t puts your hand up? Why not? What justification have you decided for not using this opportunity? Do you believe you’re not good enough? Do you believe you’d be too nervous and your spirit connect won’t be there when you need them? Do you believe that putting your hand up would be seen by others and show you as egotistical?

Or would you be one of the mediums that does put your hand up? Why? Are you proud of your abilities, no matter how good or bad you think you are? Would you see this as an opportunity to learn on the big stage? Have you the confidence to know that your spirit connect would be there for you, no matter what?

Let me tell you something. My hand would be up high. I would relish the opportunity to work in such distinguished company. I would not hesitate in volunteering. I would have written a number between 5 and 8.

But what about you? What’s your reasoning? Perhaps you’d like to at least be brave enough to share your decision below in the comments. Explain why you’d make whatever choice you’d have made. Why didn’t you put your hand up? Why did you put your hand up. Your call.

I hate being wrong, and I know you do too. With being a medium, getting something wrong is a regular occurrence, and one I wish I could put a stop to happening, but by the very nature of the beast, that’s not going to be any time soon!

The one blessing I have to support me is in knowing that anyone that claims to be a medium are often wrong in their work too. Of course, many of them would deny ever being wrong – but they are. Any medium that tells me they’re never wrong shows me two things about themself . One – they are delusional and two, they aren’t taking their mediumship very seriously.

But what is going on in our psyche when we’re wrong. I asked the Spirited Talk AI advisor, Arthur, to give me five good answers:

1. Ego and self-esteem: Being wrong can feel like a personal attack on one’s intelligence or competence. People often tie their self-worth to being right, and admitting error can be seen as a blow to their self-esteem.

2. Cognitive dissonance: When someone realises they’re wrong, it can create cognitive dissonance, a psychological discomfort that arises when there is a conflict between beliefs and actions. People may try to resolve this discomfort by either justifying their incorrect beliefs or changing them, which can be a challenging process.

3. Social pressure: Society often rewards being right and punishes being wrong, which can create a fear of embarrassment or rejection. Admitting you’re wrong in front of others can lead to feelings of shame or social anxiety.

4. Confirmation bias: Humans have a natural tendency to seek out information that confirms their existing beliefs and to avoid information that contradicts them. This bias can make it difficult for people to accept when they are wrong because it means acknowledging that their previous beliefs were flawed.

5. Fear of consequences: Depending on the situation, being wrong can have real-world consequences, such as financial losses, damaged relationships, or professional setbacks. This fear of negative outcomes can make people hesitant to admit their mistakes.

6. Fixed mindset vs. growth mindset: Some individuals have a fixed mindset, believing that their abilities and intelligence are static, while others have a growth mindset, seeing challenges and errors as opportunities for learning and growth. People with a fixed mindset may be more resistant to admitting they are wrong because they view it as a reflection of their inherent abilities.

Thank you Arthur. It goes without saying that not all individuals react the same way to being wrong. Some people are more open to admitting their mistakes and learning from them, while others may be more defensive or avoidant. Cultivating a growth mindset, practicing humility, and valuing the process of learning can help individuals become more comfortable with being wrong and more willing to correct their misconceptions.

My personal mindset has always been to remain a student whilst I’m representing my work with the spirit world. There is so much to learn and I am fully aware of how much I know compared with how much there is to learn. I believe that this is a health attitude to have and one that I’m not afraid to adopt every day.

The problem with this attitude, however, is in how others perceive me. Whether consciously or subconsciously, others consider students of mediumship work as “still learning”, or “he’s wet behind the ears.” They have unwittingly decided that they know more than me and therefore my word is less important. I refer to Arthur’s first point.

I am often wrong in my mediumship, but as I mentioned earlier, no matter who it is, or who they that judges me, I know they are often wrong too. The difference is, I can openly admit it without worrying about it. Of course, I’d love to always be right all the time, but I’ve not yet met anyone that is, even those that claim to be!

Recently I put the following statement and question to our TIS CHAT community on WhatsApp.

“You have a reading with someone you know nothing about. At the outset of the reading, you become aware of their father in the spirit world being there. How do you broach that situation with the recipient? Do you not fear being wrong, or misrepresenting the spirit person? Do you go straight in and risk being wrong? If you are wrong, how do you deal with the mental pressure you’ve just added to your already nervous situation? How do you deal with the fear of getting it wrong?”

Evidential medium Bill Cleary from Weymouth was the first of the community to respond.

“Do I worry about being wrong? Yes, I do. And there are times when I have bottled it. Why? Is it because I’m afraid of being wrong? In any other walk of life it is generally ok to be wrong depending on the situation, of course. But when it comes to mediumship one wrong answer could destroy the trust you are trying to build between yourself and the sitter and we know that trust once lost is very difficult to rebuild.

Bill has been honest and admits that the fear of being wrong has occasionally led him to withhold information he received but did not pass on because he feared being wrong.

Bill is pragmatic in his work though, and fully understands his role in his mediumship. He continued to explain:

“Mediums are conduits. We deliver what we are told. If we fail in that endeavour, we fail the sitter. As Mediums it is our role and responsibility to deliver the message. If we get it wrong so be it. Nobody’s perfect. The real “sin” is to sift the messages we receive to save ourselves the embarrassment of getting things wrong! If we adopt that approach then we have truly failed!”

“I trust my guides and accept my mistakes. If I panic, my link could be irretrievably broken and that, I suggest, would be worse than making a mistake.”

The challenge that mediums also have is in realising that, by the nature of the work, we are often super-sensitive and that makes things worse. The mistakes are amplified in our minds and we might choose to fester on the mistake for longer than we should.

How do we overcome that? Spiritual medium Steven Bird from Stirling in Scotland, appears to have the right approach:

“I don’t worry too much about it as there is not much point. I get it wrong on relationship frequently, but the names follow through and all seems to be okay after that. We are all working for Spirit and in them we must trust.”

“If others look at your mistakes and criticise, that is on them not you.”

And there is the solution! I’m often wrong (according to Jane, most of the time!), you’re often wrong, we’re all often wrong. That’s the plain and honest truth. We simply need to learn to accept it. Stop judging others for their mistakes, until such time that you don’t make any yourself.

Within our mediumship, there are many ways to deal with wrong information received from the spirit connect. The first and most important point is to understand that the spirit world are not often wrong. It is in our interpretation of their communication that the mistakes come about, more so if we’re unintentionally filtering and adjusting their original communication.

Spiritual medium Judith Graham from Cumbria explained to the TIS Chat community how she deals with getting a communication wrong: (this has been slightly edited for space purposes)

“In the early years, I had terrible stage fright, from fear of getting things wrong. I learnt to trust my guides. If I get a “No, I can’t take that.” response, I just ask the communicator for it to be put in another way the recipient can understand it. It works most of the time.“

Judith continued to explain, looking at the issue of being wrong from the point of view of the recipient:

“I remember my first time attending a spiritualist church. I didn’t understand the meaning of a message given to me by a medium because it wasn’t who I was expecting it to be from. Once, I was calm and back home again, I realised the message from the church medium earlier was from my maternal grandmother. It made perfect sense.”

“Earlier, I had desperately wanted the message to be from my recently deceased Dad. My mind just focused on him. Nothing else at that time was going to be relevant.”

Being wrong is normal for everyone. It’s how you deal with it that’s important. You could choose to let it spoil your rhythm, as I used to do, and let it play in your mind. Or you can learn from it and move on. Letting go is the best approach. As Steven mentioned above, the next piece of information might just be the ‘gold nugget’.

The secret is in not holding back information for fears it might be wrong. We mediums could all share stories of when we said something aloud during a reading that sounded completely potty, making us feel like nincompoops for a few seconds. But then the recipient smiles, and tells you they completely understand it. The evidence they needed might just have been in that ‘silly’ piece of the communication that you feared being wrong.

Here’s another wonderful story that Bill Cleary shared with us in our TIS Chat group on WhatsApp.

“Just a short anecdote to illustrate the importance of saying what you’re told.”

“I was doing a reading for a lady and her daughter and brought through the lady’s father. Out of the blue I thought he said to me,“

“I hate onions”.

“I admit, I nearly didn’t pass the message on but decided to anyway. Both ladies burst out laughing and it proved to them, categorically, that it was their relative. Actually, they told me afterwards it was French onion sellers who used to come round on bikes he didn’t like. So I got tiny details of the message wrong, but it still confirmed the message was for them.”

In all my years of studying mediumship, I’ve never met a single medium that got everything correct. Every one of them, from the world famous, such as John Edward, the UK’s favourites, and from the local mediums serving the churches, they all make mistakes.

Getting things wrong occasionally is all part of being a medium. There are ways that mediums ‘dress up’ the mistakes or cover them with plays on words, slight corrections, rephrasing something to fit, etc. But that is a skill we call stagecraft and doesn’t take away from the fact, they were wrong!

The next time you give a piece of information that cannot be accepted, here are a few does and don’ts:

DON’T

• stand your ground and insist that the recipient is wrong. They might be, but they don’t need you to tell them that!

• stay with the recipient and insist they work it out for themselves.

• use lines such as “I’m never wrong,” or “My spirit connect is always right.”

• suggest they take it away to think about.

DO

• admit openly, “I must have got that wrong somewhere. Leave that with me for a few moments.”

• accept that you are wrong and immediately let it go.

• always remember that mediumship is not an exact science. It never was and never will be.

• If your partner insists you’re always wrong, they might be right, even if they’re not!

A huge thank you to the community of TIS Chat for allowing me to publish their comments within this article.

If you’ve any comments, leave them below. They’re most welcome.

I was sat at my desk, ready to write and prepare an article for The Inspired Spirit. I had no clues as to what it would be. But then suddenly I knew.

I heard a voice in my mind asking if they could talk to you directly. I knew that I must use my computer keyboard this time. I had not sat in preparation, nor even expected to be sat for the spirit words today. But I now knew I had to write the words of a person in spirit directly with the keyboard, a first for me!

I promise you that although I am writing these opening notes after the speaker has finished, I will not edit or change any of the words the speaker has shared with me. I promise you also that the speaker wanted you to hear what they had to say. Without more from me, here are the words.

My medium friend always makes something of you needing to remain students for your work with us. Of course, that is true, but everyone is a student, including me. You don’t have to be interested in working with us to be a student. Life itself is an enormous learning curve. You have the added benefit of knowing that your life on the planet’s surface doesn’t end when your body chooses to give in. Indeed, the knowledge of knowing your personality and your collective wisdom will continue to serve you well, long after that event comes is comforting.

When I crossed to this side, as you like to call it, initially I was shocked. I had always believed there was another life after the one on earth, but of course I’d had no proof of it. One day I woke up quite naturally and found I was here, in this world you refer to as the afterlife.

I confess, it took me some time to adjust, and I had to experience many emotions through the process of adjustment. I was confused for some time. Matters were confounded for me because my mother was there with me, helping me adjust. I’d not seen her for many earth years and yet it felt like we’d never been apart.

I couldn’t understand why everything seemed so normal. I had eyes to see through, ears to listen with and a body I could feel. I could feel my mother embracing me and I felt my own tears on my face. Yet I felt no pain, no hunger or thirst, even though I was at my mother’s new home. I say new, she’d actually lived here some time apparently.

Within all this normality, I felt I had changed, though at first I couldn’t put my finger on in what it was that had changed about me. Becoming suddenly aware that there is no longer reason to worry about the length of your life is quite something to get your mind around.

After settling in, I began to realise that tiny things I’d once believed important were no longer part of my thinking. I think the best way of describing that to you would be in reminding you of that feeling you used to have when you were younger and you’d enter a sweet shop. Nothing was more exciting! But as you grew older, the sweet shop seemed less important. How many times do you go in a sweet shop nowadays, a?

It’s that kind of realignment that happens when you arrive here. There is much that I don’t understand about life here though. I have no idea how big the place is! I don’t even know if it’s air that we breath, because we breath something, believe me.

None of that matters to me now though. Many of the things I’d come to learn about this place called heaven, when I was on earth, transpired to be myths in reality. Some things were true though. The colours, the peace, the skies and the oceans, and so many other things I’d learnt about when on earth were really true.

What had really changed though was my own perspectives. Things that were once important, no longer mattered, and what I was doing with my life doesn’t seem to take the front row of my thinking any more.

There is so much positivity here though. You call it love, we call it a way of being. Negativity is a state of being that doesn’t exist here. Like chalk in acid, the two cancel each other out, except that here, only love survives.

This is a wonderful occasion for me. I learnt to communicate with souls on earth soon after I arrived here. This isn’t my first time of having my words heard by someone your side. I know it’s a first for this medium typing the words, so perhaps give him some credit for allowing it to happen.

I know you have so many questions you’d like answering and hopefully in your time on earth you’ll get some suitable answers. All I can say to you my friends is that life does continue, and along the way, you’ll adjust accordingly without even being consciously aware of the changes.

I can assure you though that each of you have some wonderful helpers from this side looking after you. My advice to you would be to get to know them. They can only help if you ask them to. They’re not mind readers you know. Well, they could be I suppose!

Anyway, my transcriber here is coming in and out with me, so I guess it’s time to leave you. Let me offer you a gift. Close your eyes and open your hands with the palms up. Allow me to give you this gift now. It’s unique and personal to you. Hold that memory and whenever you want someone from this side to come into your presence, close your eyes and once more hold the gift I’ve given you.

Farewell my friends. Let your days ahead be fulfilled with the love of the Divine.

I’m restraining from offering any further comments at this stage, in respect of edification of the speaker. Thank you for reading their words.

Your comments and feedback are always welcome.

I’ve been involved with Spirit-Inspired writing for much of my time as a student of my development for spirit world communication. During the past eighteen months I’ve made my work public. During this period I’ve honed the craft and learnt much about the process. The exciting outcome has been that I’ve transcribed many powerful lessons through the pen, inspired by others in the world beyond.

In this article I’m going to share with you two groups of five tips that you can use to get yourself started into this ancient and yet relevant art of communication through the thin veil that separates our two worlds.

Spirit-inspired writing is not something that’s limited to the few. Everyone can do it, and every medium should. The relationship with the spirit world is an important facet of our work as mediums and through this simple process we can strengthen both the relationship, and our trust in it.

Based on my limited experience, I’ve composed the following two sets of simple tips that anyone can follow to get started in this craft, whether an established medium, or someone looking to unfold their potential further.

5 PREPARATION TIPS BEFORE STARTING

TIP 1: DECISION

Make a commitment to yourself that you’ll sit for this work as often as you can and at least once every week. You’ll need to allow yourself up to an hour for each session, in an environment where you won’t be disturbed or distracted. As you gain experience, the time required will decrease.

The time of day you choose for this work is not important, though personally I find connecting for writing just before I fall asleep a good time. The most important point of this first tip is that you make a decision to start, and continue regularly with the practice.

TIP 2: ESTABLISH A ROUTINE

Routine is very important to both you, and those working with you from the spirit world. Create your own routine that fits with your needs and stick to it. Initially, you may find yourself needing to tweak certain parts of your routine.

At first, you may find the chair you use is not the most comfortable, the muzak (background music) you choose may need fine tuning, the notepad and pen or pencil might need adjustments, and other similar such ingredients of your routine may require you to “feng shui” them until you develop an optimal routine that you can stick to every time.

Those in the spirit world that work with you, love routines and rituals. They act as a call-to-action for them and help establish the perfect working environment.

TIP 3: GATHER YOUR WRITING EQUIPMENT

It is important that you have the right tools for the job. A journal will act as a diary for reference of your progress. Personally, I have a digital notebook and stylus/pen that serves me very well, but I appreciate that this is rather an expensive investment initially.

Your choice of writing pad could be a simple shorthand notebook. It’s a good size for limiting the restriction of movement of your hand and arm, and is a flexible format that can be held comfortable. Don’t opt for the cheap type you can pick up at supermarkets and dollar shops. The paper is often too thin and easily damaged or ripped.

Use a free flowing pen, such as the roller pen & liquid ink pens. They are more reliable and offer require less friction when writing. Again, a good quality one that does not leak and where the ink dries quickly is essential. Your own preferences will hone these ingredients over time. Avoid pencils. They often break or wear out too quickly and create greater friction on the paper than a roller pen type.

Don’t bother about writing on the back of a sheet. Keep the rhythm of writing free from your own need to intervene more than necessary.

TIP 4: REMOVE ALL DISTRACTIONS

It’s an important element of your writing process, being undisturbed and not distracted. Leave your smartphone in another room and on silent. If you wear a smart watch that reacts to the phone, also remove it.

If there’s others in the house where you are, inform them that you’re not to be disturbed. Reduce the light in your chosen room to a minimum, though there must be enough light for you to be able to see the notepad.

Use the bathroom before you begin. Double check that everything you need is ready and at hand. If you’re using music, make sure the batteries of the equipment are adequate and that the chosen regular track is cued up and ready.

Time and date a new page before you begin. I suggest a simple format such as 290823-1151. You can clearly see from that example that I am writing this on the 29th of August at 11:51 in the morning. Doing this ahead of beginning a session also acts as a commitment and starts your mental preparation.

TIP 5: SIT IN THE POWER BEFORE WRITING

You’ve got everything at hand and are ready to commence your writing session. Before you commit your pen to paper, take a period of time to attune yourself correctly. Close your eyes and with your mind’s voice, inform the spirit world that you’re about to allow yourself to be a channel for their words through your pen. Ask them to draw close and help you. Then sit silently for a period of no less than 10 minutes and no more than 20 with your focus only on your own presence.

Don’t allow your mind to wander away from the here and now and when it does, bring it back. Expect nothing to happen, just enjoy the power of your energy and those moments of peace and tranquillity.

AVOID SHORT CUTTING THE SHORT CUT

Those first five tips are all important aspects for the work of spirit-inspired writing. Everything we do involves a learning curve and this work is no different. I always make a big deal about fixed routines, what can be called rituals. Each element adds to the process and wraps the art of spirit-inspired writing into an easy exercise that works to establish this new craft into your life.

You’ll note that so far, we’ve not talked about the actual writing yet. That’s because the writing is the result of this routine and not an active ingredient we should be considering yet. The magic is in the preparation!

Now let’s discover the 5 tips to help you successfully write your first spirit-inspired words.

5 TIPS FOR WRITING SPIRIT-INSPIRED WORDS.

TIP 1: TRUST YOUR INTUITION

You’ve followed your preparations correctly and you’re sat wondering when to start and what to write about. How do you know when to begin? The answer is simple. Trust your intuition. If you’ve sat for a sensible period of time in the power of your Self, trust your mediumship abilities. Make a decision to commence writing. At this stage you’ll feel like you’re on your own! You’re not! But you have to make the initial decision to commence writing something!

TIP 2: OMIT PRECONCEIVED IDEAS FROM YOUR MIND

If you’ve followed all of the tips so far, you’ll be sat there probably wondering what on earth you’re going to write. That’s perfectly normal at first. The key to this writing is to now completely forget any of the preconceived ideas you might have festered into your mind about a topic you want to write about.

Remember, this is spirit-inspired writing, and not your writing. You can do your own writing on another day! Your paper should remain blank and your mind should not be in control of what you’re going to write about. Trust the process instead.

Forget notions that you’re going to write something epic! You probably won’t. Forget thoughts that you’re going to spell words incorrectly, or get the grammar wrong. You will, but that is not important. Remove any doubts from your mind. You’ll most likely not even be aware of a presence of spirit. Excellent, you’re doing good.

TIP 3: LISTEN FOR THE VOICE OF THE THIRD PERSON IN YOUR MIND

Now we’re at the business end of your new experience. Let’s look at the circumstances first. There is only you and your mind here at this stage. The spirit communicator will have to use your mind and your imagination, that is their platform. Everything they relay to you will be through your mind, as it is in any mental mediumship, which this is. You are therefore going to have to trust yourself at this point, whether you believe or you don’t. Just trust your imagination and what you are hearing internally.

For me personally, I listen for the calling card that I’ve established over time. That is usually a word, a short sentence, or an opening greeting that comes into my mind. For example, “We are ready to begin.” or “It’s lovely to be talking to you”, or other similar phrases. It might also be that you’re hearing a song title, a phrase being repeated over and over, or any one of many openings that your mind is receiving.

As soon as this happens, even if you believe it is you making it up, start writing. Write exactly what you heard. “Good day to you. I am ready to talk through your pen.” for example.

TIP 4: KEEP WRITING AS THE THIRD PERSON (Your Spirit Connect)

The key to successfully writing with spirit inspiration is in keeping your own mind out of it, even though it is the platform the speaker is using. Write only what the third person is saying. Don’t allow yourself to form sentences or content ahead of your writing. Don’t write your own suggestions to the topic, only those heard from the third person. Don’t expect the conversation to be earth shatteringly amazing, it won’t be. You are simply relaying a conversation you’re listening to in your mind.

Don’t let spelling or grammar slow you down. Just keep listening, focussed, and writing. A moving pen will limit your imagination only to the words you’re transcribing. A stationary pen will allow your own mind to take over. Avoid writing ahead of the speaker and also avoid adding your own take on the message.

TIP 5: TRUST THE RELATIONSHIP

Once you’ve transcribed the first piece, it will be quite natural for you to doubt the source of the words. You’ll probably believe that it was you that wrote the words from your imagination. Well the good news is – you did. That is the way it works!

Instead though, recognise that you have just formed a new relationship with another person in the spirit world. You have to believe it, even if that is hard at first. Remember, you’re not trying to impress anyone. There’s no need for you to share your pursuit with anyone else. This is about you and your new relationship with another source of inspiration supplied by your spirit connect.

If you choose to share your new found method of communication with others, particularly those friends and family not of like-mind, expect to be questioned! They will most likely remain non-believers. But those that criticise, or even doubt the validity of the advice within this article and you subsequent practice of it, have no foundations to comment negatively. Unless you’re involved in this form of communication, you cannot hold a worthy point of view. Spirit-inspired writing involves you, your imagination, and a relationship with the people in spirit that want to talk to you using this method.

AND FINALLY . . .

There is a finer line between spirit-inspired writing and automatic writing than most would consider. The best way to understand the latter of the two forms is in the method of the words being created. If the pen moves independently of the person, then the writing is considered as automatic. But, if the person holding the pen is far removed from the process, for example in a deeper state of awareness, then writing produced can also be defined as automatic.

If you find yourself struggling to start the actual writing, particularly when your own imagination appears to be overly active, approach it differently. For example:

Using your newly dated blank notepad sheet, write a question that you would like your spirit connect to answer. Example questions might be,

“How can I be sure that it is you I’m listening to?”

“What do I need to be working on now to improve my mediumship?”

“How many of you are there today for this session?”

As soon as you’ve completed your question, allow your imagination to answer (in the third person form) and continue writing. Trust that the words you continue to write are inspired by someone in the spirit world or at the very least, your higher spirit.

Here is a personal piece of advice from me. You can take it or leave it, but it’s what I do and has helped me establish trust in the process and a deeper understanding of the relationship with spirit:

After you’ve written your first session, close the notepad, leave the environment and get back to your usual routines of life. Leave the message a few days before you read it again, if at all. By that time, you’ll be more removed from the process and will not remember writing the words. Then you can appreciate the connection more.

If your first session consists of only a few words, a couple of sentences, or a paragraph, well done. That is all that is expected. With more practice your sessions with the pen will become longer as you learn to maintain the necessary focus.

You’ll always know when to stop writing. Either the speaker will bring the session to an end in their words, or you’ll just know instinctively to end. It might be that the internal battle between your actual imagination and that inspired by the speaker becomes too much to overcome. Fine, just end the session. The speakers in spirit aren’t bothered about formalities such as saying goodbye or concluding in words.

The process of spirit-inspired is a learning curve and another method of using your mental mediumship for your own self growth. It’s an exciting craft that’ll help you establish a deeper trust in your relationship with those the other side wanting to work with you. From my experience, they don’t mind telling you the truth either! Sometimes, not always what you want to hear, instead what you need to hear! As I said earlier, even if the words you write are not coming from a person in spirit, the worst case scenario is they’re coming from your higher spirit which, by the way, lives in both worlds. That’s exciting! ~

Your comments and feedback are always welcome.

I have always been confident that the messages I transcribe with my notepad and pen are, in varying degrees of depth, originating from a source other than my own known mind. Every time I sit, I follow a strict routine that includes me making extra effort to not give any of my own thoughts to what it is I’m about to write.

I know my own truth, and believe me when I say I am the most critical person when it comes to judging the work I produce, whether from my own mind or from that of an alleged other source. So when I declare that I’m confident the written messages I say are coming from the spirit world, I do so based on my known truth.

I continue with this experiment as a way of learning more about myself and my connection with the other realms. It’s an exercise in personal education. But of course, there are some limiting factors with choosing this method of communication. It is still mental mediumship and from one aspect, is more concise that the normal methods.

Mediums that work with the mind for spirit work, say what comes into their mind. They have time to examine the words before they voice the message. They can reshape it, form a message from the vague picture they had and as is often necessary, reword or rephrase the message to the recipient. These are luxuries the writer doesn’t have. The words are written and immediately committed to the paper.

Progression Through The Writing

I have found through my experience that the benefit of writing the messages is in how easy it is for me to detach myself from the process. I am only the transcriber, not the speaker. Because of the way my character is made up, I am a super-sceptical person. I want to work with the spirit realms with honesty and integrity, so I need to work at making sure I’m as little of that process as possible.

I am aware of where I need to improve in the experiment. I need to learn to go deeper than I am. This is something that I’ve noticed is getting better.

Using The Voice Instead Of Pen

In the paragraphs above I mention how writing allows personal detachment from the process to happen easier. But that is less so, when it comes to voicing the words heard in the mind. The ‘Me’ takes a bigger seat in the process. More personal senses are involved, such as hearing yourself speak, forming entire sentences that make sense, and other aspects of the process.

In order for me to progress with the experiment, I do occasionally sit with a recorder and allow my voice to relay the message from the spirit world. But the procedure is an entirely different discipline and one that I am very much still in the learning stages with.

Those people that believe that if one can write the messages from the spirit world, then they should be equally able to speak them are misinformed. Writing and speaking are different disciplines.

Why I Rarely Use My Spoken Voice

The truth is that I do occasionally sit for the spirit world to use my voice. I choose to keep the results private for the whole. As I mentioned in that bold statement above, I know how others can easily be sceptical and even cynical about the source of the words spoken. Even I’m not convinced by some of my spoken sessions, so why would I want to make them public!

So, I do sit for spirit with the intention of allowing my voice to be used. I’m just not ready for that work to be scrutinised by others that often don’t understand all the aspects of it anyway.

An example of my spoken spirit-inspired work has been scheduled for release a day or so after this presentation. It is in a podcast format and will be released on “The Spirited Talk Podcast” and will be included with the next “WFSIW” edition later this week.

Your comments are always welcome below. Share your thoughts below and be heard.

“How do you know you were correct to trust him that much?” Jane asked me. And there was a loaded question that made me stop and doubt myself for a few seconds. But somehow I just knew I was right to.

Jane made this remark moments after I’d said goodbye to a young man who’d visited our home. He had come to buy a couple of studio lights I had for sale on Facebook Marketplace. When he arrived, Jane was out. The man asked me a question regarding whether I had any other gear for sale. I felt the easiest way to show him what I was currently selling was to invite him down the garden to the Sanctuary.

On entering the Sanctuary, the original home to The Spirited Talk Podcast studio, his eyes popped out and for several minutes all he kept repeating was “Wow, wow, wow!” The young black man told me he was originally from Zimbabwe and had only been in this country a short while. He was working in a car wash with a gang of other immigrants looking to make this country their permanent home.

His name was too complicated for me to grasp and although I tried to get the pronunciation correct, I failed. He told me that everyone now called him ‘Simon’. That was the name he had adopted to make life easier for those he now associated with in this country.

Simon was on the verge of starting his own podcast. He was excited by the prospects and shared with me his ambition to grow a big audience and make money from it. Though I never said it aloud, I thought, “good luck with that idea!” He was ambitious to the point of being blinded by the naivety of it. I warmed to his dreams and shared much of his outwardly enthusiastic ways.

Over the hour he spent with me, I learnt so much about him and his dreams for a blockbuster podcast. I asked what equipment he had so far and was staggered by the contrast in his enthusiasm and his ignorance of the chosen career. He had nothing more than his smartphone to use. He knew nothing of the editing, the scripting, the lighting, the sound engineering, the distribution, the video production, or any of the basic skills required. But he was excited by the notion of getting started.

He left our home with a carrier bag full of bits and pieces from my old studio. He didn’t buy any of it. A high quality webcam, a lavaliere microphone, additional lights, light stands and a few other odds and ends. I gave it all to him, to get him up and running. I knew he didn’t have much money, if any, other than the few quid he’d raised to buy the lights.

By the time we left the Sanctuary together and headed back to the house, Jane had returned home and was in the kitchen as we walked in. I introduced Simon to her and could see her reactions to this black man I’d invited to my sacred space whilst she was away. We said goodbye to Simon before Jane asked me

“How do you know you were correct to trust him that much?”

I just did. The truth was that I’d made that judgement call within a few seconds of greeting Simon to the house. Intuitively I knew he was a nice man. He was well-mannered, humble and yet nervous. He smiled and asked questions whilst explaining to me his ambitions with starting his own podcast.

I knew that I could stretch that trust and invite him to my sanctuary where he would see all the equipment I had for sale. His reaction on entering the room was overwhelming for him and he reacted like a kid in a sweet shop. That brought me joy, seeing his excitement and reaction.

SENSITIVE, RECEPTIVE & INTUITIVE

People often comment that first impressions are important when you meet someone. As mediums, that is a very important aspect of our life. We have trained ourselves to use our intuition combined with our natural instincts every moment of our lives. Our gut instincts are better trained to react and make judgements about someone, in seconds. This is because of our enhanced psychic abilities. We have learnt to trust what we feel.

”I do think that we are very open to feelings and this heightens our instincts, I feel that a large majority of times I am correct in my instincts.”

Jackie Gunningham: Spiritualist medium & TIS Chat Member

Does it mean we’re always correct? Of course not. There is always going to be those ‘actors’ that pass our initial judgements. And there are those that we immediately don’t warm to for whatever reasons.

An important facet of this instinct includes our individual life experiences. How each of us have experienced situations of trust and distrust from others throughout our life. The past experiences often count in our current and future decisions. The red flags, as they are called, that we become aware of very quickly, that others don’t recognise.

WORK ON THE FIRST IMPRESSION YOU REFLECT

Of course, these super-enhanced abilities we’ve acquired doesn’t mean we are perfect individuals, far from it. We have our own personalities and traits that others read in us during that first impression period.

“Mediums can also be very egotistic and ignorant of others like many people. We aren’t better people and we as mediums are all very different eggs.”

Steven Bird: Spiritualist medium, author & TIS Chat member

I have met many mediums over the years of being involved in this pursuit. Not every one of them was super-friendly on first impression. Some of them have and openly display big egos about who they are and what they know, while others are warm, caring and friendly from the first words.

For many years, I have had to constantly work on my own self-esteem. It is an ongoing process. Part of the outcome is I’m intensely aware of those first few moments where I project a first impression to others. That personal training, combined with my unfoldment education for this work has made me, in my humble opinion, a better than normal judge of other people.

“For me, when I meet new people, I feel into their energy to feel what they are like. I have done this since I was a child. I’m happy to say there have not been many where I want to turn and run.”

Amanda DeVogel: Medium, healer & TIS Chat member

I’m proud of my life as a sensitive person and equally proud to be a medium, representing the spirit world and the betterment of Self. I have learnt through my experience that the medium that is constantly working on their own abilities, is a good person to be associated with.

Our ability to make early judgements of people is therefore based on a solid grounding and understanding of self and others. Our gut instincts are almost always accurate, especially if we are attuned to them in the moment.

“I think if we go with our gut instincts in anything, not just people, we are likely to be more accurate. Going against them has proved a wrong move in my experience and life.

So, without ego involved when meeting someone new, listen and feel the emotions and sensations like you would during a reading or working with spirit.”

Judith G: Medium, spirit-inspired writer & TIS Chat member

IN CONCLUSION

It is my opinion that my enhanced sensitivity makes me a good first impression judge of someone. I also believe that others working in this area and committed to their own unfoldment are also able to use their abilities accurately in such circumstances. However, those mediums that live with an unchecked focus on their own egos may miss opportunities during an occasion of a first impression.

To join our TIS Chat group, you must be a subscriber to The Inspired Spirit

Your comments and feedback are always welcome. Have your say in the comments area below.

It’s part of our everyday life now. It’s constantly on the news, in the papers, and even on social media. The planet is in trouble, apparently. Meanwhile, I’m being asked to recycle my shampoo bottle as part of the repairs needed. Really?

Can one person really make any difference? That is a question many people ask. “What’s the point,” they’ll say in response. “Why bother recycling at all. After all, our local rubbish is often sent abroad where it is left piled up and rotting. Surely that’s just nimbyish from our authorities?”

It’s easy to understand why some people experience a lack of belief in their authorities to do anything worthy about the increasingly worrying crisis. The USA appear to be about to re-elect a previous president that outwardly doesn’t care about the global warming, and in the past has gone so far as to declare that one does not exist.

In the UK we have an unelected prime minister that is desperately hanging onto his power and now seen to be cherry-picking the topics that will bring him favour with the voters. However, what he says does not match what he does.

So, are we and this planet on a roller-coaster heading towards global destruction?

During my lifetime of sixty plus years I have lived through many transformations to our society and the way we live. When I was a child, it was quite natural for my dad to load his Morris traveller up with the family of six, with two of us sat in the cargo area, travel out to a pub called the Full Pitcher in Ledbury where us kids spent the evening playing outside while Mum and Dad drank inside at the bar. Later, when they had enjoyed a skin-full, dad would load us back into the car and somehow drive the thirty miles back home. Drunk in charge of a vehicle. Mum and dad would both smoke in the car and us three kids had to inhale their fumes.

Dad wasn’t breaking the law, because there were no laws about drink driving in the early sixties. There were no laws about wearing seat belts, or smoking in a car with children. That was the way it was, and more people than I care to imagine were living this way.

Given a few more minutes, I’m sure we could all recall changes to the laws that have shaped our society. More to the point, things that were acceptable at the time, that now we shudder at the thought of them happening.

Women were considered inferior by many powerful men. Gay people were kept in closets by society. Black people were treated to racism constantly. Poor people were treated as inferior to the richer. Classes were distinct – working class, middle class and upper class. Segregation was often present in our society.

All of these things I’ve mentioned were present in my early years growing up. But over time, as we became more educated as a people, things have changed for the better, for the greater good of mankind you could say.

That transformation to our society, to the way we live as individuals, is ongoing. It’s called evolving. We are rapidly evolving as a nation, as are many other countries across the world. Our understanding and acceptances are changing very rapidly. What was once acceptable yesterday, is no longer today, and will be thought of as outrageous tomorrow.

Weymouth, where I once lived, has won many awards over the years for the cleanliness of the beach. But at one time, the beach was used as a place where everyone dumped their rubbish. Many of the big hotels and buildings along the prom were built with their fronts facing inland. Their back doors led to the beach for convenient disposal of their rubbish. The beach was not considered important. That is, until King Charles III visited the resort and inadvertently made bathing popular in 1789. Rapid changes took place and the beach, and other such beaches around the country became important visitor attractions. Society and what was acceptable shifted, for the good of all, including the environment.

That transformation is still happening across the globe today. Perhaps not at the pace it needs to, but it’s happening none the less. There is a phenomenon known called ‘critical mass’.

In the dictionary one definition of critical mass is “an amount necessary or sufficient to have significant effect or to achieve a result“.

Combine that with something known as ‘economies of scale’. Now let me explain.

When something becomes popular enough that manufacturing it becomes economically cheaper and more affordable to more people, this is known as the point of critical mass. Throughout history these factors have played a major part in bringing new technology to the population. The motor car, the telephone, the television and radio, the computer, the internet, the smartphone are just a few examples of innovations that have shaped society, once the economies of scale reached critical mass.

This innovation is ongoing, especially in the field of global energy. Wind farms are popping up everywhere. Nowadays 33% of the UK power comes from onshore and offshore wind farms. Isn’t that exciting? The once damaged ozone layer is now well on target to be back to acceptable levels by the 2040s. Diesel vehicles are losing value faster than any other type of vehicle and as a fuel is expected to be abolished within thirty years across the world.

The point is, there are many positive steps being taken to address the global warming crisis. Some might suggest, too little too late, but that is not the way to view it. As a society, we are all guilty of making changes that matter, though slower than we should. People don’t like change. How many years did it take people to accept that recycling our rubbish into various coloured bins is good?

Change is happening and will continue to happen, for the good of this planet and for us all. But what can one person do to help? What difference does one voice make?

Here’s an answer from ‘The Inspired Spirit’ reader, Bill C. when asked this question in our TIS Chat group on WhatsApp.

Abraham Lincoln and the emancipation of the slaves?
Winston Churchill who found himself standing alone during WW2 but ultimately successfully led the country during this period.
And lately, Greta Thunberg who has concentrated the collective minds of the world on climate change.

These and many others have given us the lead showing us that one person can make a difference. We can all do the small things such as turn off the taps, reduce the central heating, use energy efficient bulbs, switch off appliances on standby, etc. Every little bit helps. However, as Spiritualists, we deliver healing, take part in healing circles, send healing to friends, relatives and complete strangers so perhaps as part of this process we should start to ask for healing for this blue diamond (because it is still a beautiful world) on which we live. Include the world in you healing circle sessions and, I’m sure we can, as a group and as individuals, make a difference.

I followed this wonderful answer with the following opposite argument.

But how does me saving a few pennies on a lightbulb use, or recycling my plastics, or reducing my personal carbon footprint really make any difference compared with the thousands of tons of oxygen burnt due to forest fires across the world each day. Thousands of tons of toxic gases, of carbon dioxide, monoxide etc created as a result of those raging fires. How am I, or you for that matter, really making any significant difference?

TIS Chat member Judith G. responded with this:

I have asked these questions to spirit. A general question on climate change. I will give you the answer I got.

The earth is a living planet that has existed for millions of years. The temperature of the climate goes through cycles of hot and cold like the ice ages and then heating up. Deserts were once lush savannas. Earth evolution has to change through these cycles.

What can we we do about the polluting of the planet ?

I was told we need to stop the plastic going into the sea and killing the marine life. Stop the loss of the rainforests and the extinction of the species that depend upon them. Otherwise, no matter what we do about climate change, it will make no difference. Earth is simply going through one of her periodic cycles.

Earth will continue her own evolution no matter what man does. Except blowing it up. That would not be allowed to happen !

To back that last comment, I read a book where the author while in a deep trance state asked his spirit speaker this question. “Are we going to destroy this planet?” The answer he received back was, “God would never allow that to happen.”

TIS Chat member Bill C. further responded with this, when pushed on the issue of what power one person has.

How little one person can do isn’t the issue. Being proactive and doing as much as humanly possible is what is required of us all. If you fill a bag of plastic cartons, cups etc from the beach, you have made a difference. You have stopped those polluting the seas and killing sea-life in your own small way.

You could ask if there is anyone who would like to help you and achieve a greater impact. You could publish what you are doing and attract more volunteers. From small acorns mighty oaks grow. So maybe it starts with one person making a small impact but that impact can grow. Doing nothing is not an option.

Bad news sells newspapers and headlines television news programs. It is ingrained into the program producers and the editors that all we want to hear, read, see is bad news. Even the wonderful nature programs presented by David Attenborough now always contain news of the impending doom to this planet. One TV critic on the award winning show, Gogglebox said, “Here comes the doom and gloom!”

‘The Inspired Spirit’ reader, Bill C. reminded us of the following:

It would be naive to believe everything one reads in the newspapers or hears on the TV. A healthy scepticism is a needed prerequisite regarding news coverage. You’re correct in stating, “bad news sells”, as does news which has been grossly exaggerated. What’s the answer to your question – do you avoid such news?

I don’t believe we should. The problem is not reading or listening to such news. The problem is in each of us believing it and quoting it as if it’s veracity is beyond reproach! Perhaps we should be more circumspect in accepting every piece of news as “gospel”. However, that should not be a reason for personal inaction.

This world is crying out for “warriors” who will fight to improve it.

And that is a good point to finish this article on. Yes, every individual can and will make differences in some small ways that will affect this planet. Each of us has that responsibility. Life is a valuable gift, as is the planet we reside on. This planet feeds us and supplies the air that we breathe. It heals, nurtures and is living and breathing itself. Each of us has a duty of care.

When the innovations that will change our outlooks reach critical mass, as they will, when the economies of scale allow the manufactures and inventors to come up with solutions, a positive momentum will be reached and changes will come at incredible pace.

Until then, we each have a duty of care in that space we inhabit. As Bill says above, “The world is crying out for warriors.”

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Manners play a significant role in our interactions with others and in shaping the way we are perceived by society. They are a set of social norms and behaviours that help establish respectful and considerate communication.

Respecting someone else, particularly during vocal conversation, usually works to return respect back. Good manners breed good manners and demonstrate respect and consideration for others, regardless of their background, status, or beliefs. Treating people with kindness and courtesy fosters positive relationships and a sense of mutual respect.

Acting with civility and courtesy stretches beyond our conversations with people living on earth. Our friends and relatives living in the world of spirit also deserve the same decorum, politeness and courtesy. Let us not forget that these are people like you and I, the only difference being where and how they now continue to live.

Passing to the spirit world doesn’t mean that our personalities change. It doesn’t. We take with us whatever characteristics we had on earth. If we swore a lot, were bullies, arrogant and selfish, those traits remain the same, for a little while at least. So it’s entirely likely that the angry man on earth, will continue to display those traits where they now reside. The manners and characteristics of a person is, more often than not, the first impressions the medium will pick up on.

Contrary to some uneducated medium’s beliefs, it is not our duty as mediums to relay everything we receive from the spirit connect, word for word. If the connected spirit person is swearing a lot, or showing anger and upset, as the medium we should not repeat everything heard. We should always maintain a decorum of respect and decency. Of course, we can describe the manner of the person in spirit, in a watered down way, but without the colour of the language.

I know a medium that doesn’t follow this decorum. They repeat everything they hear, swearing, rudeness and even sexual remarks. Yes it might well help cement the evidence for the recipient, but it will also offend others listening to the medium demonstrate. We have a responsibility to represent our work by leading with example.

The majority of mediums are polite, well mannered and understanding. This is often witnessed in the way the medium acts before and after demonstrations. Members of the congregation are judging that medium from the moment they first see them. How they are presenting themselves is being judged. How they are dressed, their appearance, their tone of voice, even their choice of footwear.

A good medium talks less and listens more, whether during a reading, or just making small talk before and after. Absolute no-no’s are belittling, interrupting, bragging, and bad language. No medium should be heard to be acting this way in a public arena.

Of course, it’s obvious that if a medium lives their ordinary life with the highest standard of manners, continuing to do so in their mediumship is second nature.

I recall an event where the medium turned up drunk. He was a medium that was considered very good. However, throughout his demonstration, all I witnessed as an onlooker, was slurring, jumping in and out of the connection, jokes and not-so-funny remarks, and a general lack of respect for what he represents. Unless he has since changed his ways, I still hold little respect for him some fifteen years later. He might have changed his ways, or that occasion was a one-off, but for me, that impression is lasting. I can’t help wonder if that affects his mediumship to some degree.

Here’s an exercise for you to do. The next time you watch a medium demonstrate, observe two areas of their mediumship. One, how do they project themselves? Are they well-mannered, respectful and careful with their words? Two, observe how much of their descriptive evidence reflects the manners and characteristics of the person connecting in the spirit world. Listen for lines such as:

“She’s a lovely, friendly person, who everyone liked to be with.”

“He did like to use colourful language, didn’t he!”

“She’s a gentle person in nature, I can tell.”

“He says he’s changed for the better since being here. You’d know what that means, wouldn’t you?”

As mediums, we are ambassadors for this work we do for and with the spirit world. Never let that be far from your mind. Mediumship is not about you, but what you represent, so do so to the highest standards you can, ever single time.

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Again it is Monday and I’ve come to my sanctuary office with a schedule of work for the week ahead, to produce four WFSIW editions and to write two TIS editions. A busy week and if I achieve this, I will end the week two weeks ahead on the schedule. The two productions involve different workflows. The WFSIW being very much a process, whereas the articles for The Inspired Spirit needs some inspiration from me.

So, here I sit at my desk with the Jarte Plus word processor open and a new blank sheet awaiting my words. Someone recently asked me where I get the inspiration for the articles I write. The ideas come to me during the week and I make a quick note to remind me in my drafts folder. But due to my focus being on decorating the home recently, I’ve been a little distracted from this work with the spirit world.

Yesterday, knowing I had this week’s schedule ahead, I started to think about what I should write about. My mind seemed empty of ideas. That is, until I went to bed Sunday evening. After a bit of reading, I decided to tune into the spirit world and transcribe a message from them, the first I’ve sat for this August.

The speaker in spirit seemed to be aware of my dilemma over inspirational ideas for this section. They suggested that I should be utilising them more for help, and included a method I should use to seek their ideas for me to write about. Further, the speaker suggested I should write an idea down immediately, one the speaker was going to share with me there and then.

That remark put me on the back foot, so to speak. Remaining honest to the experiment, I wrote down, word for word their conversation with me. This is the words I transcribed from them.

“We know you’re going to write an article tomorrow. So, here is the subject for you – Manners In Mediumship. Yes, that is it. I know that you will be able to write a good piece out, so I won’t waste time now. If you get stuck, call on us and we’ll give you some pointers.”

The speaker went on to also suggest that as I woke the following morning, I would find more ideas that they had shared in my mind whilst I slept.

Well, here I am! I have already noted several suggestions for articles for the coming weeks ahead, since being awake. This one however, is not going to be the manners piece. I’ll leave that until next time. Instead, I thought it more important to share with you the basis of that conversation as a lesson we should all bear in mind with whatever it is we need inspirational ideas about.

The spirit world want to help us, as does our own spirit. But like winning the lottery, we must first buy a ticket. We must therefore tap into their wisdom by asking for that occasional help.

Normally, when my entire focus is associated with working with spirit, the inspiration flows easily. But my recent absence from this work as somewhat distanced me from that connection. Those of you that sit every day for spirit will already know your connection is strong. Those that don’t sit as often as they should may be lacking that flow.

Years ago, when I was a youngster in the territorial army, I recall an exercise that our sergeant major had us all do in a group meeting. One by one we were invited to stand in front of the gathered squaddies and talk about a topic we knew something about, non-stop for five minutes without gaps or repetition. When it came to me standing, I had no clues as to what to talk about. So the SM reached into his pocket, took out a Polo mint, handed it to me, and told me to talk about it for five minutes.

I failed badly. I mean, what is there to say about one polo sweet? A lesson was learnt, though not so much at that embarrassing time, but years later when I’d matured and had some life under my belt!

Have you ever thought about how you could now stand in front of any crowd, no matter what size it is, and talk with passion and enthusiasm about your life working with the spirit world? I know, without question, I could do that with my eyes closed and my hands tied behind my back.

So why was I struggling to find an inspirational topic to write about today? Truth is, I’d allow myself to think I couldn’t do it. But as soon as the spirit team prompted me with some ideas, I was revved up and raring to go. What an incredible power that is to have – the power of the spirit world backing us up in everything we do. But we do sometimes have to remind ourselves to occasionally tap into it, with a little more clarity.

What I’m reminding you now is that you too have access to the inspirational power of your own spirit and those in the spirit world working with you. Their suggestions will flow in abundance so long as you first ask them for their help, and then follow it by trusting the processes and the subsequence thoughts you have.

Imagine these scenarios. You feel you’re struggling to recognise your connected to the spirit world. So, ask them to move closer and make their presence clearer to you. Meanwhile, attune yourself to accept their signs, without hesitation or doubt.

You’re doing a reading and you’re not sure who is with you from the spirit world. First, remove your doubting thoughts and relay every single feeling you are experiencing about that person at that moment. Chances are it is related to the connection and will reveal powerful evidence. Let the person in spirit inspire you.

Often, it’s not that we lose inspiration, it’s more that we allow ourselves to block the flow. We forget to call upon the greatest powers we have working with us, our spirit team.

When I read this article back in a few moments, I suspect I’ll discover that I’ve deviated many times throughout it. But so long as I’ve made my point about the theme of tapping into our inspiration, I’ll leave it as it is. In doing so, I’ll be expressing to you how you too have so much inspiration inside you waiting to be shared with others.

I may have this platform to share my words, but you have your network of family, friends and acquaintances waiting to experience your inspiration. Now, go write a five hundred piece on why you’re a medium!

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As I left the house this morning to walk to my Sanctuary, I had one goal for the day ahead – to prepare this article for the coming Monday. But I had no ideas what to write about, that is, until I sat at my desk and started!

It occurred to me that, like so many of us mediums, I have a number of quite amazing stories of things that have happened to me during this journey that I’ve never written about in detail. So that is the theme of this article.

I’m going to share a story with you today. One from when I lived in the south of England, the first phase of my spiritual journey.

THE HEALING CIRCLE

Some time in the early noughties, I sat in a development circle in Christchurch, Dorset, as a student of the wonderful medium, (the late) Joan Dunbar. During one of the weekly sessions, Joan was teaching us the importance of healing, in particular the power of group healing.

Joan instructed us to close our eyes and focus just on the healing energy. I had no idea what that meant, but I was enthusiastic and keen to learn, so I closed my eyes and sat silently for at least ten minutes before the following happened.

With my mind’s eye, and as a third person, I saw the circle of sitters. I was able to recognise each of us, including myself, sat in a perfect circle and in a state of deep meditation. I could see the healing power emanating from each of us, rising from each of our crowns, like smoke from chimneys.

I observed this fog-like energy as it gently grew in density around each person, including myself. Then, as if by magic, the healing fog slowly linked and formed a perfect circle above our heads. Spouts of fog from each of our crowns rose into this newly formed circle around the group. As it grew stronger and more condensed, it started to rotate in a clockwise direction.

After what was probably only a few minutes, I was deeply engrossed in what I was seeing. Moments after the healing ring had started to rotate, I heard Joan suggest to us that our healing energy would now merge as one source and that we should visualise that happening. I had a mind-chuckle, I was ahead of Joan on that one!

As I often do, I jumped ahead with my imagination and asked the healing ring to go to someone in the group that was needing it, and to a specific place in their body, so I could witness it.

What could only be described as a funnel of fog, healing energy formed above one of the lady student’s head. I witnessed the healing energy as it moved downwards towards her left elbow, where it continued to flow.

As if on cue, Joan suggested we should allow the energy to flow to someone we thought needed it in the group. I was ahead of her on that one too! I was aware that this lady had an elbow issue that was being treated by this healing energy from the rotating ring.

When we were all brought back to the room by Joan, one by one we were asked to share our experiences. As often happened, Joan left me as the last person to share what I’d experienced.

Though the story of the ring didn’t really enthuse anyone in the group, including Joan, I continued to share the experience anyway. Rather confidently, I selected the person I’d seen in my visions receiving the energy and shared my observations. I relayed that I witnessed the healing energy going to her left elbow.

She smiled and thanked me, even though it was all of us that had done it really. She declared that when Joan had asked us to feel if the energy entered us, she had indeed done so. The student told the group that she had a condition called Lateral Epicondylitis, and on that day it was particularly bad. She had felt some relief from the pain during the healing process.

Being non-medical in my knowledge, I asked what exactly is Lateral Epicondylitis. She told us it is commonly referred to as Tennis Elbow. “Boom,” I thought. I was so proud of myself, even though this had nothing to do with me. I had witnessed it, and not made it happen. My part in that was merely as an observer.

The story served to endorse my growing desire to understand how healing energy works. Though I’ll admit that as a student, I was what you might describe as ‘rough around the edges’, I left that circle that night on a high.

Nowadays, some twenty years later, I realise more than ever that Joan had always believed in her students. She was a wonderful mentor and I know now how much she had a liking for me. I’m not going to say I was a favourite, because that is not so. She treated everyone with the same values. But I think she saw something in me that perhaps I hadn’t seen in myself. I’d love to meet her one last time and thank her for believing in me.

Can You Help?

During the production of this edition, I wanted to use a photo of the late Spiritualist Medium Joan Dunbar. I searched my personal photos and couldn’t find one of her. Google and Facebook drew a blank too. Do you have a photo of Joan that I could have a copy of please? Send it to psychictrev@gmail.com

This is a copy of her obituary as published in the Bournemouth Evening Echo.

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Several months ago, I read a brief article about the power of sound when administering healing. As you might know, I’ve always had a lot of interest in the subject of sound, though hadn’t fully realised how it could be connected with spiritual healing.

I was aware of how sounds create an energy that can enhance our connections with the spirit world. I’d sat in a couple of seances run by physical medium Scott Milligan where the gathered audience would encourage those in the spirit to come forward in a physical form, through the power of the group singing aloud.

An energy was created during the sing-song that was ideal for those wanting to make themselves known to the group. I have also sat in group meditations where we were encouraged to chant the Om aloud. The energy created was tangible and brought amazing mediumship results.

I’ve also always been keen on choosing the right type of music for general meditation backgrounds. I knew that the structure of the music was important and how it can help us blend our mind into a state of awareness suitable for enhancing our sitting. But what hadn’t clicked in my mind was how sound can be used for actual healing purposes.

I always have a limited choice of my favourite tracks playing during healing sessions, but I believed that was because it helped me reach a good state of being for the healing process. I had not realised however, that the sounds from the music can and do play a vital part of the actual healing.

So when I read that short article about the power of sound during healing, it ignited my desires to learn more. My next move was to invest in a Kindle book called Healing Sounds: The Power of Harmonics by Jonathan Goldman.

View The Book On Amazon UK

Night after night, after I’d finished my healing on Jane, I’d open my Kindle and read a page or two before giving in to tiredness. It’s a comprehensive book written by an expert in this subject and incredibly detailed with the vastness of the subject. The book opened a new subject to me that I had not realised was so well documented.

Several weeks after starting the book, a parcel arrived at our home. It was from my daughter Kayleigh and was a birthday present that she thought I might like. It was an authentic singing bowl complete with cushion and wooden striker.

Years ago during a shamanic workshop I’d had a go with a singing bowl that was on offer there but with no success. Whilst other students were making it work, I had no luck and can now look back and realise I was not in the right space at that time for it.

The miracle of synchronicity had brought this singing bowl into my life at exactly the right time for me. My daughter had not known I was researching sound healing, but the powers that be did know! Almost immediately on receiving this wonderful gift, I started practicing with the bowl. I watched YouTube clips showing how to make the bowl sing and after a few attempts, I succeeded in making my new bowl sing. Each time, I got more skill at holding the striker correctly and getting longer and louder results from the bowl.

It was during the healing on the second night after receiving the singing bowl that I chose to introduce it to the healing session. At first, Jane did not feel anything happening. However, the following day after the second session with the bowl, Jane announced that her swollen ankle felt much better and her pain had reduced from 8 out of 10 to 5 out of ten.

Here is a short recording of the singing bowl in use.

I’m still progressing through the book and am enjoying my new area of learning. Until starting this new learning curve, I’d not realised how important and widely used sound is in the field of mediumship. An exciting aspect of working with sound is the amount of scientifically proven information there is to support the work. Sound is, after all, an energy.

Words such as resonance, frequencies, and vibrations take on new understandings and the results are often tangible. My previous love of recording and hearing a variety of sounds have now fallen into a place in my life. I wondered why I had this interest in the past and now I know why.

There is lot more to the power of sound that I’m only now discovering, way beyond just hearing things. Sound is on the same spectrum as light. Sound can actually create light, but that is a topic for another day.

If you’ve ever thought you’d like your own singing bowl, I would recommend you don’t wait any longer. Get one as soon as you can and start exploring a whole new and exciting world within this work with spirit communications. _💨

Your comments are always welcome. If you’ve found this article useful and would like to leave a comment for others to read, do so below.

SPECIAL EDITION

|| compiled and produced on 5th July 2023

My name is Trevor and I am an evidential medium, writer & content creator. For the past 18 months I’ve been involved with an experiment aimed at allowing the spirit connect to talk through my pen. Shortly after commencing this experiment, I made the decision to share the results of this experiment and the findings with readers online. If you’re new to following me and my work and are like-minded in your beliefs, this special 2-part edition will help you understand what exactly spirit-inspired writing is all about and whether it has a purpose in your mediumship.

WHAT IS SPIRIT-INSPIRED WRITING?

Frequently, I sit in the power of my own energy for the purpose of my higher unfoldment. Strengthening my connection for my own spirit and with others in the spirit world, is part of the unfoldment of my potential, as it should be for any student working with the spirit world. Being able to connect to the world of spirit and hear communications from them is the defining reason. I am an evidential medium, able to relay messages from the other side through the process known as mental mediumship.

Mental mediumship is how the bigger majority of mediums work. The communicator in spirit impresses the messages they wish to relay onto the mind of the medium. There is a varying degree of connection within mental mediumship, determined by the depth of the medium’s awareness. Deeper states of awareness are often referred to as “Trance” state or “altered state of mind”.

The communicator in the spirit world is able to lay their messages onto the mind, believed to be on the sub-conscious side. Using our imagination, we interpret the messages by “saying what we are thinking”.

These messages are then interpreted by the medium, me, and relayed to the recipient. Rather than voice alone, I also use writing. This involves me listening to the speaker in spirit and writing down their message, often word for word. As this form of mediumship is very much for personal growth, the speakers in spirit use the communication channel to give me support while sharing information about their life the other side. It remains mental mediumship in all ways, the only difference being the way that I deliver their message is not with my voice, but with my pen.

WRITING MESSAGES

There are many elements with writing a communication from the spirit world that make it more difficult than voicing the words. Once the words are committed to the paper, they cannot be easily changed, unlike vocal mediumship where the medium can vary or rephrase what is being relayed. Obviously, the process of writing can be much slower than vocalising words. This precise method of communicating with the spirit world is correctly known as “spirit-inspired” writing and should not be confused with “automatic” writing. When the medium is controlling the instrument, such as the pen, the writing is spirit-inspired. When the spirit communicator is controlling the pen, the writing is classed as automatic.

One of the most important aspects of spirit-inspired writing is within the limitations of the medium’s education. Grammar, spelling and speed are the three top challenges. Although the speaker in the spirit might be an advanced speaker in use of language, they are somewhat limited to the medium’s vocabulary and their understanding of good grammar practice. This is because it is the medium’s memory bank that is being used to construct the sentences. Of course, in the case of automatic writing, these limitations of the medium’s intelligence are overcome. The truth is however, there are really only a few mediums in the world today that can present automatic writing.

THE WRITING PROCESS

I have been interested in using the written word of spirit for many years of my mediumship apprenticeship. In early 2022 I decided to make some of my work public, at the same time as increasing the amount of times I sat in the power for this intention.

Over the time since, I have honed the method in the way I do it, without changing the actual processes. I have removed actions that distract me from the writing when I’m sitting.

I use a digital notebook with a stylus that is very close to the feel of an actual pen and paper. (Onyx Boox Nova 3 tablet & Lamy stylus pen). Before starting a session, I prepare the notepad with title and line spacing format. It is then put aside until I am ready to begin writing.

The advantage of using digital writing is often highlighted when a speaker in spirit tells me that I’ve worded a sentence wrong and asks me to rephrase it as they wish. I can easily rub the line out and continue with the message without stepping too far out of the power with my mind. Nowadays, I can almost automatically do that without it effecting my depth of connection.

Before commencing with the writing, I have set my intentions through prayer and declarations and, in my mind, invited the speaker to step forward. I advise them that I will know when they are ready when I hear a word or phrase being repeated in my mind. That is when I know to begin writing.

At first, the writing is what I call shallow, in other words, whilst the connection is strengthening. This is where the opening pleasantries are often written. The connection strengthens after a minute or so and I have learnt to be able to hold that focus for as much as 20-30 minutes. After that, my own mind becomes an issue, always intercepting and getting in the way. In some examples, such as the one used for this article, the writing can last for 45-60 minutes.

Instinctively, I know when to stop writing, as does the speaker. Nothing fancy happens. The speaker just wraps it up and says goodbye. The session is then over and I automatically close the tablet cover. The speakers from spirit have learned how long my session needs to be for publishing. Recently the speakers have also become aware that their words are being shared with others that will read the words some time in the near future.

After initially writing the session and closing the tablet, the notes are automatically converted into a pdf format and uploaded to my Dropbox cloud account. There it stays until required later for creating the public article.

This may surprise you to learn, when the session is over, the next time I’ll read what was written is when I’m creating the publication and I have to transcribe the message to a digital font format. That is often several weeks after the message was written, and gives a fresh dynamic to the contents for me, as I can never remember what I had written!

The speaker in the spirit world is talking to me in my mind. I am merely writing exactly what I’m hearing. We speak different than we write. Sentences and grammatical construct of our words is less present in the spoken word. I have to therefore to recognise when a sentence is ending, and often I get that wrong, as with paragraphs. It is the words, however, that are important.

Recently I started to use AI voices to read back these sessions and the results, I believe, are startling. Although of course the voice used is not that of the original speaker’s, the messages are brought to life in a new and exciting way.

Most sessions are now available as short podcasts available at The Spirited Talk Podcast.

JUDGING WITH THE AWARENESS SCALE

I have always strongly believed in honesty with my mediumship. To tell lies in this work only serves to be lying to myself. There is nothing to be gained from it and lying will only serve to restrict my true unfoldment.

Inspired writing is a craft that anyone can do, as is spirit-inspired writing. With the latter, the art is in allowing and recognising how much of the written work is being sourced from the writer’s actual imagination bank, compared with how much is being drawn from the spirit communicator. This is where the honesty is important.

I have devised an awareness scale where I make my own truthful judgement on the degree of my own thoughts in the words compared with those of the spirit communicator. The more I feel distanced from the message, the higher I believe the influence was spirit-inspiration.

I am a tough judge when it comes to deciding this factor during the process of creating these public presentations. I can make that judgement because it is me that knows my own capabilities. I rarely recall individual sittings or writing the messages. But I can judge how flavoured the messages are with my own imagination. They all contain some level of me in them.

Here is two examples of the awareness graphics I use. There are 10 in use at this time.

The technique of knowing what is and what isn’t the direct words of the spirit communicator is something that would take too long to try to explain. Imagine a medium having to analyse every element of a message they have just voiced to a sitter! The nearest way I can describe this process is through knowing. I just know.

THE INVITATION

Some months ago, I invited subscribers to my written work to challenge me and the spirit connects with questions for the spirit that they might like answers to. Soon after I realised that the process was flawed, from an evidential aspect of this work. I was able to read these questions as they arrived in my inbox and although I would not have deliberating pondered on these questions, the fact that I could read them ahead of the writing session was, to me, a weak link in the experiment. So I came up with an alternative method.

Questions that readers want me to put to my spirit connect are now invited to be sent to Jane’s email. On receiving them, Jane prints the email off and places it in a sealed envelope before delivering it to the cabinet in the sanctuary and advising me I have a question to deal with.

I prefer not to know who it is from, so Jane removes any identifying information on the printouts. I know nothing of the contents of the envelope and it remains sealed until the very last minute. Let me explain that part.

I sit in the power in the cabinet for a period of time and offer a prayer to the Divine. I follow that with a notice to the spirit connects that I am about to sit for their words. I mention that I have a question from another student that needs answering. I then sit quietly and wait for the spirit connect to tell me they are ready to commence. This is normally in the repeating of a word or phrase.

Recently, it has been the spirit connect that’s instructed me when I can open the envelope and to read the question aloud. Moments later, the writing process begins.

WHERE IS THIS WORK TAKING ME?

I have learnt so much from this work. At the very least, even if the messages occasionally come from my own higher spirit, they are laced with help and insights to help my unfoldment. Sometimes questions that no earth tutors can answer with 100% accuracy are dealt with by the spirit connect and offer profound insights into their world.

The speakers in spirit have requested I use my voice instead of the pen. I have increased the amount of times I do that. This is often referred to as ‘Trance Mediumship’. I have recorded around twenty sessions so far, though I am not yet confident enough to release those recordings into the public arena. I’m not happy with the standards just yet.

Recently, a speaker from the spirit world suggested that I should bring a person’s name to the cabinet. Someone that has requested a reading from the spirit world. The speaker suggested that they would be able to prove the continuation of life through the evidence they share with me and my pen.

I will be introducing that to my work later this year, assuming I am able to continue due to other pressing circumstances.

I don’t believe for a moment that my entire unfoldment, nor anyone’s for that matter, can be left in the hands of the spirit world. It would not be balanced to take all advice from them. Real tutors this side of life are equally important, however I am currently unable to afford their fees. Until that situation changes, I am satisfied with continuing to connect and listen to the spirit world.

NEXT

In the next part of this 2-part special, which can be found in my MORE WFSIW section, I will share with you the most recent question sent in by a reader, and the words that came from the spirit connect to answer the reader’s query.

*NEW CHANGE* The podcast versions are released free the day after this written version is published.

Your comments and feedback are always welcome. It’s wonderful for me to read your thoughts, as I suspect it must be for everyone else.

”Why are you crying?”, my father asked me.

“Because I’m going to die.” I replied.

He laughed and shrugged my comment off with the response , “We’re all going to die at some point.”

I hold very few memories of my early childhood. One such event that I can clearly recall is when I was very young. I remember the house as being our first terraced home in Gloucester. I even recall the actual address – 64 Alma Place (photo below). I would guess I was about 4 years old at the time. It was around 1964.

I was asleep in my bed when I woke up and realised that I was going to die. For some reason, the notion that I would at some point in the future stop living upset me. I cried and cried at the thought. I had no siblings at that time and slept alone. I must have already had an active mind.

My father came into the room concerned as to why I was crying and smiled so much when I shared with him my fears. But why this event happened and why I still recall the details so vividly is a mystery to this day.

Perhaps there was a psychic reason. Perhaps a previous life memory had came to mind and had frightened me. Why, at the young age of four, was death something that concerned me so much I became deeply emotional?

Today, on 11th July, I am sixty five years old, well over half a century after those terrifying thoughts in my childhood. My parents have been in spirit for many years, as have many of the people that I grew up around.

How do I feel about dying now?

Honestly, I’d rather not, if you don’t mind! I love my life. Though there have been some very rocky roads along the way and my life has been tarnished with many upsets and challenges, where I am now is a good place.

I’d like to believe that those early tears were witnessed by the spirit world and when the right time came, some thirty six years later, they came into my life to guide me through this final half. I was tempted to write two-thirds then, but realised that would be wishful thinking!

I don’t fear death. It’s going to happen and that’s a given. I’m of an age where I realise that the remaining years are limited. I’ve been with Jane for the past twenty three years and we’re probably past the half way point of our time together this side of life. Unless, of course, I live to 88 and beyond, but with our health that is not likely to be the case.

As I said, like most of us, I don’t want to die. But we have no control over when or how it will inevitably happen. I don’t focus on it too much. My mind still feels young and has so much accumulated wisdom from life so far. I am now in touch with my Self.

(The capital on Self is deliberate. It represents our higher spirit, the true soul Self)

I believe that I have a purpose in life. Who I am and my personality and characteristics are only the outward reflection of me. Behind that shield, I am a basically a good person, trying hard to live a fulfilled and meaningful life.

Perhaps, at the age of forty, the spirit world came into my life to help me get to grips with those early life fears and to stop me doing something silly that I’d planned. Perhaps spending the last couple of decades with spirit has helped me understand that life doesn’t actually end after our body is redundant.

None of us truly understand the complexity and wonder of life on earth. There is so much we don’t appreciate while we live within the confines of our biological and physical world. Our scientists have really only scratched the surface of understanding all there is to know. But when we explore the possibilities of life outside of our dimension, there is so much to be excited about.

I have one issue that bothers me though. I completely refuse to believe in the presence of Akashic records after we pass to the other side. If, and only if, they exist, that will be one event that I won’t want to attend. I’ll be too busy on that day!

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I’m an overly sensitive person by nature and this is enhanced by being a person working with my own self discovery. If that wasn’t enough to contend with, I’m an introvert to boot! A combination of two of the three testing conditions I have to live with daily on a mental level.

Many people working with the spirit world are overly sensitive. It is a by-product of attuning ourselves and heightening all our senses. It’s often associated with a feminine side of our personality. People with these characteristics are often drawn to working and appreciating the spiritual side of life.

For myself, I like being sensitive, sometimes. It usually means I am more understanding, sympathetic and even empathetic than others often are. I don’t want to offend people, and often suppress true feelings when around someone I don’t actually like. But sometimes being sensitive means my “soft skin” gets damaged easier. Combined with my other trait of being an extreme introvert leaves me vulnerable to being hurt too often. Things that don’t bother others, get to me.

It doesn’t always take others to damage me, I’m quite capable of doing that myself! I take everything to heart. I hear every word said, and I read into situations more than is often visible. Hey, I’m a medium and that is my job! I hate bullying, belittling, and aggression from others. Those traits make me upset and want to retract my head back into its shell, like a turtle does when danger shows.

More so as I have aged, my sensitivity and my introvert ways have shaped my chosen lifestyle. Thankfully, I have a loving, understanding and wonderful partner that understands and accepts me the way I am. She is my best friend and I don’t believe there is anyone else in the world that could better her.

But having these two characteristics is challenging for me, every single day of my life. Like so many people that might share these personality qualities, there is always a lack of self belief. Oh dear, now there are three challenges to deal with!

Having no self belief means that there is always an underlying desire to be liked, to be accepted, and often to be heard. But in a world where egos are on display on every social media platform and in every social gathering, the introvert has to work even harder to fit in. These are definitely challenges I recognise.

I used to take my mediumship to churches and venues quite frequently. But at one venue I had issues with the setup. There was a bar and the audience were drinking. They were somewhat rowdy, noisy and there to have a good night socialising. I was an unknown medium to the area and I sensed I was going to be given an hard time. That proved to be true very early into my demonstration which led to me losing confidence and a struggle followed. I began to sweat and wanted a hole to appear to swallow me up. As mediumship is important to me, and I don’t see it as entertainment, I declared to the organiser that I could not carry on. Embarrassed, humiliated and feeling like an alien in the room, I stood my ground and sat back down. Thankfully there was another medium on hand that took over and finished the evening.

As I sat alone near the demonstration area, I let my mind torture me for that remaining ninety minutes. A woman chose to come up to me at the end of the event. Annoyingly, she told me that one of the main and detailed messages that I’d given out, but could not find who it was meant for, she knew was meant for her. She just felt that she didn’t want to speak out as others were jeering me.

I left that venue having dried up and mentally broken, and returned to the comfort of my home and partner. That was several years ago. I’ve not worked in a public arena since. One or two well known mediums that I’ve interviewed for the Spirited Talk podcast offered to co-host an event with me where I could work alongside them, to regain my confidence. But as is quite common nowadays, they haven’t followed through with their words.

Of course, I should have used the FIDO technique and put it behind me. (Forget It Drive On). I shouldn’t have let it play on my mind, but it did. Remember, I’m introvert, sensitive, and needing to be liked. Am I therefore a rubbish medium? I don’t believe so. Am I ever going to work in the public arena again? Yes, when the occasion calls for it. Will I be able to deal with that sort of situation if it should reoccur? I think so.

You see, I cannot make the world adapt to me. Nor can I expect everyone to understand what is going on in my mind, what makes me tick, or what my strengths are. I can just be me, an odd and awkward character in a world filled with often judgmental and ego-fuelled people.

If you’ve followed my writing, you’ll already be aware of these issues I’ve shared with you. I’ve always believed that sharing who I am with others might, in some small way, help others to deal with their own similar issues and recognise that they are not alone.

These personality characteristics govern everything we do and equally determine everything we don’t do. We can make decisions in a second, and regret them moments later. We have to learn to think smart to accompany our ability to act impulsively.

My work online is coming to an end, due to the lack of interest in my small community. I am failing to reach an audience. Why? Because it is not in my nature to self promote. Every time I sit in front of my computer, I become frustrated with the situation I am in. No income from my work, few gratitude’s, and fewer reasons to continue working so hard at it. But does it really bother me? Yes and no. I am in charge of my destination and I accept that.

Any time, without notice, I could and should pull the plug on this work and walk away from it. I owe nothing to nobody. And every day, I consider whether this will be that day. So why don’t I? Because I recognise my weaknesses as that proverbial turtle with my neck out. If I make that momentary decision to walk away, I would be that turtle pulling my head back into the safety of the shell.

It is so important that in our own unfoldment and development, we recognise who we are and what ingredients make us. We should refuse to live with regrets and should stretch ourselves out of our comfort zones and explore the world with our own eyes. Becoming a greater medium is not just about having the power to connect to the other side. Becoming a greater medium is about self growth, understanding, compassion and a loyalty to truth. The evidence of mediumship is a by-product of those qualities.

In this article, I’ve shared with you my weaknesses. I’ve shared stuff that some might suggest should be kept private. But I’ve shared this with you to show that I am an ordinary person with flaws. Exactly the same as you are. If you deny that, you would do well to take more time to find out who you really are, deep inside. The you behind the doors of your mind. Recognising your characteristics is important. Your strengths are your comfort zones. Your weaknesses are your workspace.

I am over-sensitive, introvert and needing to be loved. How about you? What’s on your workspace? What do you have planned to become a greater medium?

The photo at the top of the page was chosen because it depicts how I often see myself. A near-empty theatre where I work!

During a recent live broadcast into our Friends of Spirited Talk Facebook group (videos now deleted), I made a comment that I had given up on trying to heal my partner because it was not making any significant difference. At that time, Jane was (and still is) in constant pain because of issues with her swollen ankles which she has been told was because of her ongoing Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Normally, I am an avid believer in my healing capabilities, or more precisely, my abilities to be a conduit for the universal healing energy. I had never doubted the power of spirit-based healing, or my ability to channel healing energy, like an amplifier, from those life-supporting forces of this planet.

For many months, night after night, I have connected to that source and asked for healing energy to, if necessary, flow through me into Jane’s body for the greater good and for pain relief. But Jane’s symptoms have been getting increasingly worse, rendering her in more pain and unable to walk without extreme suffering.

I have specific rituals that I carry out before starting to relay healing. The most important part being the saying of The Lord’s Prayer in my mind. The freedom of my dominant arm movement, the preparation of a specific pendulum or crystal, the heightening of my hand’s senses and the tried and trusted routine follows.

Jane always feels the energy flowing into her whenever I am healing, and occasionally a momentary relief in pain is experienced. Sometimes she senses the healing energy working within her and can experience symptoms of her energy changes during the process. Such signs as a mild feeling of nausea, pins and needles, and even an occasional temporary increase in pain. But come the following day and the pain, accompanied by swellings return as bad, sometimes worse, than ever.

During our June holiday in Lanzarote, Jane was suffering quite intensely with swollen ankles and relief from the pain was desperately needed. The pain and the swellings were terrible, possibly not helped by the high temperatures. During my daily healing sessions I was becoming increasingly desperate for help from the spirit resources. I prayed and pleaded for some relief for Jane, but it appeared that there were no signs of intervention from the higher powers.

Apart from the frustration that Jane was having to live through, I became angry, annoyed and frustrated due to the lack of evidence of support from above. After several more sessions nothing was felt by Jane, no relief came, and I concluded with annoyance that my healing sessions were a waste of time. So I stopped administering healing.

After months of calling on the spirit source for healing energy, I gave up. My faith in healing through the energy had been temporarily destroyed. For the remainder of the time away from home, I didn’t call for healing help from the Divine source. Why bother, I thought. Meanwhile, Jane continued to suffer and face life without the ability to walk more than a few hundred yards every day without experiencing intense pain.

HOLISTIC & SPIRITUAL HEALING IS SUBTLE

I recognise that these non-medical forms of healing are subtle and bring results in many ways other than medical, often other than on the pain areas directly. There is a lot that I don’t understand about holistic healing and much that I hold in faith only without actual evidence.

I recall being once informed that it takes both parties to be in acceptance for this type of healing to work. In other words, the patient (Jane) has to be prepared to accept the healing energy. On a conscious level, of course Jane is open to anything that will help. But some experts believe that at a deeper soul level, subconsciously a patient may block healing without being aware of it.

I would feel embarrassed to suggest to Jane that perhaps her soul is not wanting the healing. I know that Jane would be insulted and annoyed if I were to suggest such an issue. I don’t believe those experts were correct because I have no evidence to support such claims. Neither do I believe that the Divine forces would do such a cruel thing through the soul.

Equally, I do not believe (or even want to accommodate the possibility) that the pain Jane is suffering is because of some pre-defined lesson for her soul, or some karmic lesson. Again, I find these cop-out suggestions as mythical and nonsense, apart from also being somewhat offensive in nature. Nowadays when people make such claims to me, I ask them for the evidence. There isn’t any.

So, why are my healing abilities lacking any signs of being present?

SHORT CUTTING A SHORT CUT

I have often stated to Jane that if I knew for sure that if I were to sit in the power of healing for longer sessions for more results, I would do so. If I believed that sitting giving healing through the entire night would render significant differences, I would not hesitate in sitting. But I have no evidence to suggest that being the case. I am aware through my connection to the spirit world when it is time to stop healing. This is usually around 20-30 minutes into a healing session. Any sensations or awareness’s I have, disappear and equally, any sensations from my healing that Jane feels, stops.

I try hard to stick to a regular and normal routine of healing practice, as I mentioned before. I always pray before starting to set the intent correctly. Apart from the prayer, I also ask the Divine for help and explain what part I will play, usually just as an empty vessel for the healing powers, perhaps with some mind visions of colour for energy or direction of the energy.

I know this works. I am aware of precisely where my channelled healing energy is going and what is happening. This is always confirmed with Jane’s awareness. I hear from the spirit helpers what colour energy they want me to visualise and believe they require it for their own purposes. I believe that different coloured energies are used by them for different purposes. I know intuitively where they might require me to work, rarely with hands-on initially. Occasionally I am told to move out of the way for a few moments too.

There are occasions where I short cut my routines. This may be because I am tired at that time. Therefore I leave everything up to the Divine forces and stay out of the processes. This is akin to actual Spiritualist healing practice. But my years of experience in healing have suggested that this form of healing is far more subtle and may be working elsewhere in the spirit of that person, other than the pain symptoms. Hardly useful for my purpose of healing!

QUESTIONS UNANSWERED

I have never doubted my powers of healing. I’m aware that it’s not me personally that does the healing. I therefore believe that I am a reliable and pure channel for that healing energy to flow through.

Some people, however, would suggest that we should stay out of the healing and our only part in the process should be to request it. Personally, I don’t believe that to be so. Others might suggest that just requesting healing is sufficient, and a response such as “healing sent” is enough to invoke the powers. Again, I don’t believe that to be enough.

We are insulting the Divine by believing that, just because we request it once, and then we carry on with our day without giving it another thought, that the energy will flow to that person. If that were so, why would the Divine need to be asked? Why would we need to ask the all-knowing presence of God to intervene? Why is the world filled with pain and disease if the Divine could heal without us being involved?

I believe that when we offer ourselves as a channel, through the power of healing, the energy that heals flows through us whilst we are in that prepared state of mind. We act as amplifiers for that life-giving and life-sustaining energy that is in abundance in our world.

But the question still remains. Why is Jane not receiving relief from me during and after sessions of healing on her?

There are several possible answers, as I can figure out. Maybe my healing does actually work more than I could know. Maybe the healing is delaying further pain, or helping to hold the symptoms from getting worse.

Maybe the healing of a biological disease, such as Rheumatoid Arthritis takes intense healing over a longer period of time. While I appreciate that this is a disease caused by the body turning back on itself, I suggest it might be more difficult to reverse.

Perhaps there are simply too many bodily diseases that cannot be cured or healed through holistic healing alone. The great Harry Edwards was documented as reversing the growth of tumours, getting rid of cancers, and many other miraculous cures. But let’s be honest, was that on every occasion he administered healing, or just on the occasional times? Can we mere mortals really turn major illnesses around every time we try, without medical intervention? Again, the evidence is stacked heavily against that being the case.

Perhaps the answer lies in our own expectations. As people it is our nature to want to cure others. We want our form of healing to work. We seek the evidence that is not always going to be there. We expect too much from this simple form of healing.

IS IT REALLY WORTH SENDING HEALING ENERGY?

If you want to win the lottery, you must first buy a ticket! I believe strongly in stacking the odds every time. Perhaps administering healing using our minds, hands and holistic systems doesn’t always bring the miraculous results we expect and demand. But it’s at least worth trying, and we can never surely know what other good is happening because of our healing.

Am I back healing with Jane? Absolutely yes. Since returning home, I have administered my healing most nights in the same way I have always done. Jane remains in constant pain and whatever I do only appears to bring only temporary relief. But at least I’m stacking the odds. I’m doing whatever I can to use the Divine healing force for the greater good of Jane. That is something I cannot stop doing.

I had a glitch in my belief when on holiday. When someone I love so dearly is in constant pain, it brings with it frustration and anger. These are not emotional states that help. So I temporarily stopped for around 8 days.

I believe in the power of healing in my work. It is my strongest strength and is integral to me being a medium and ambassador for this work with the spirit world. But I am a mere mortal being with flesh and bones, and cannot ever expect to understand the almighty powers of our life on earth. What is, is, and what will be, will be. I am on my own journey, as are each of us. Our purpose is beyond our knowing, only that we should life live to the fullest and stack the odds in living life for the greater good.

BEFORE YOU GO . . .

I am currently funding most of the expenses involved with sustaining my work. Only a few subscribers have signed up for the paid editions of my work. That funding helps in a small way to keep the podcasts available to everyone else. But the Spirited Talk bank account is currently at the maximum limit of the agreed overdraft and I am already making changes to save money on essential outgoings.

Spirited Talk’s current trajectory is leading to this work ending within the next six months. This will sadly mean the end of the podcasts being available to thousands of people around the world. I have no funding to maintain the distribution costs.

I appreciate that these are tough times for all of us and money is in short supply. However, I ask you that if you could offer just a small donation for my work, it would be gratefully appreciated and would go some small way to helping pay the bills! Thank you so much.

Your comments and feedback are always welcome. Share them in the space below. Thank you.

My partner and I enjoy frequent holidays on the island of Lanzarote, one of the Canary Islands 80 miles off the west coast of Africa. We take the four hour flight from and to England as many as three times every year, often for up to three weeks per holiday.

But why Lanzarote? What is it that we enjoy so much about the place and how does that relate to my spiritual unfoldment?

Lanzarote was introduced to me in the early noughties when we were on a cruise of the Canaries and booked a coach tour of the island from the ship’s agenda.

After that coach tour, I felt I wanted to see more of the island. There was something I couldn’t figure out that was drawing me to this wonderful place. Shortly after arriving back home, we booked our first holiday on Lanzo. (the friendly shortened version).

It was during that very first longer stay on the island, I realised that this place felt spiritual to me. I felt connected to the earth and was drawn to the rugged landscapes left behind by eruptions from the many volcanoes years past. The island is a result of such eruptions and was formed from the sea many thousands of years ago. One or two of the volcanoes are still active, though passive at this time. Much of the island is unpopulated because of the spews left behind from previous eruptions decades earlier.

Years later and we’re still visiting Lanzo as much as we can. We have even considered buying a property here, but our ages are probably too advanced to make that a sensible investment.

I am writing this article during a stay in a villa on the front line of one of the popular resorts. It was a couple of days ago when I realised what one of the most important reasons for our love of this place is. It’s the simplicity of living.

Yes, my suitcase is often weighed down with a laptop, two tablets, charging cables, power leads and an array of cameras and accessories that I need to be able to work comfortably here. But I’ve just vowed that on the next holiday here in a few months, the laptop is not coming with me. I must work harder at home to get enough in my heavy creation schedule to cover the breaks away.

What do I mean by ‘the simplicity of living’?

This villa has four sofas and a large screen TV. Most villas have similar features. But we never use them. The kitchen is small and could be described as basic. From early morning until late at night, all the doors are always wide open and we spend most of our time outside, only coming in to get ready for going out at night, and sleeping.

When we’re here, we lose track of dates, and current affairs happening back home in the UK. We haven’t a clue what is going on, and we don’t care. The BBC news is something I monitor all the time when I’m home, but here I don’t have any interest. We’re not bothered what’s on Netflix, Amazon Prime, or any of the other thousands of channels we waste time watching at home. Occasionally though, I drop into Facebook, usually late at night while enjoying a Gin and Tonic outside in the mild late evening climate under the stars present in the clear night sky.

I don’t have to worry about cutting lawns, weeding or any DIY. The nearest I get to that kind of work here is occasional sweeping up of a few leaves from the palm trees around us. I don’t worry about who is reading my work, who is commenting, what is going on in the world of mediumship, or any of those similar activities I do at home. Life here is stripped back and simple.

Do I miss those home routines and activities that fill my life normally? No, not even for a moment. All the time-wasting activities of our British life are left back home. I’m free of all the worries of the state of our economy, lying politicians, royal scandals, cheating stars, docu-soaps, terrorism, and any of the countless negative feeds we naturally, and by choice, endure at home. Did I say, life here is simple.

It’s this found simplicity that allows me to connect to my higher self with a greater ease. I can actually feel the vibration of the earth below me during any of my many meditations I do. I connect to the spirit world so much more freely and feel uninhibited, a free spirit.

Every morning we have been here, a lady goes down to the seafront, alone. She dances with her arms in the air. She twirls around and expresses her real self. Imagine doing that in Wigan! They’d lock you up. Ladies walk along the beach topless, safe and without fears of being in danger. Spanish men and women talk loudly and at great speed. They are one big social community. The mañana (pronounced man-yana) way of living is important to every resident, as are daily siestas.

My eyes are rested here. Everything has beauty in abundance. The plants, the trees, the smooth roads, the beautifully paved walkways. The light is always bright and clear with often cloudless skies and a calm sea stretching as far as the eye can see. The only constant noise is that of the gentle waves breaking on the beach fifty metres in front of us. My ears are rested. We both cherish hearing only sounds that bring positivity. No children screaming, no balls being bounced around, no dogs barking, no unfriendly music being played by some ignorance person nearby. Just the gentle and soothing sound of the sea.

I should confess that the last paragraph contains wishes that occasionally aren’t always in abundance. We are at present, staying near the airport at Arrecife and planes are coming and going all day every day. But that sound doesn’t bother us too much, and they’re often exciting to watch. Being straight with you, one reason we won’t be returning to this villa is because of some other noises that we’ve had to endure on this trip. There are barking dogs next door that have annoyed us too often for our liking, and the local authority have chosen to dig the prom up in front of our villa as part of a prom light renewal program. Normally our villa choices allow all the silence we require, though this occasion that was not always so.

Stripping back life, simplifying it and forgetting some of the pointless routines of home is food for the spirit, and probably the soul too. The people of Lanzarote residence are friendly, warm and welcoming. They don’t display hate bones in their body, unlike so many fellow humans back home. This is why we try to avoid mixing with the British when we’re here. We avoid known places where they all congregate for their regular fish and chips and Sunday roasts!

This is the lifestyle I so desire. We always vow that when we return home, we’ll avoid putting the telly on. We’ll eat more salads. We’ll walk more and enjoy the outside more. But then, when back in Wigan and it’s damp and wet, what else can we do but put the telly on and cook some concoction for tea!

There is a moral in this story. Sometimes it pays to have a dream and pursue it every day. Life is more than assets and possessions. Life is more than the status of your car or the size of your house. Life is about being in touch with the real you and connecting with this planet, literally, connecting with it.

Does it have to be Lanzarote? Of course not. There is peace and beauty to be found anywhere in the world. That is, if your eyes and mind are open wide enough. You can even make your back garden a place of sanctity if you choose. For us though, we enjoy the entire escape. We have found a place that feeds our spirit with so much peace and happiness whilst leaving us hungry for more. The island of Lanzarote intoxicates us with life, every time.

EDIT: I wrote this piece while I was in Lanzarote, but I didn’t put it in the schedule. I wanted to re-read it back at home to measure the difference in lifestyles. The difference between the one talked about above, and my normal home life is startling.

Of course, we all have daily responsibilities, such as homes and gardens to maintain, paperwork, schedules and daily chores as part of a normal life. I’m aware that living a holiday style every day is simply unreasonable to consider. But when we examine some of the elements that make up our routines at home, many of them are not required.

Social media, television, news and politics, online shopping, fleece jackets, quilts, gutters and central heating. Some elements I know I could live without, given the option in my life.

Rain and rainbows are beautiful, but so is reliable periods of sun. Trees are beautiful, until they shed their leaves and result in hours of work clearing them away. The variety of plants is vast at home, but then so are the variety of weeds. The moss, the mould, the damp air, the difficulty drying clothes, salads that don’t taste as good at home than on holiday.

Our spirit yearns to be fed from the peace and relaxation we get on a holiday. But let’s be real, our life is here at home. It may be cold and damp, but it’s home. It may lack the heat of the sun, but it’s home. It may be raining more than it’s sunny, but it’s home.

I remind myself that my very own spirit co-resides here on this planet wherever I am, whilst being at home in the world of spirit.

What are your comments and thoughts? Share them with me and the other readers.

The big challenge for new students of this work with the spirit world is in recognising their own strengths and weaknesses, and overcoming the desire to continually judge themselves against their peers and mentors.

I know that when I first sparked an interest in exploring the phenomena of communications with the other side, I knew zilch. I was a completely blank canvas. I had not been aware of spirit in the previous forty years of my life, and to some degree was very sceptical that this was a thing anyway.

So the obvious start for me was at the very beginning – the exploration stage, you might say. Being completely naïve and without any guidance from others, I set about finding the people that might have the knowledge and experience to advise me where to go and what to do.

Those first few teachers had a huge impact on my personal journey. I listened, learned and followed their every piece of advice, often quite stubbornly too! When my own ego didn’t get in the way, or my own self-awareness, I did what they suggested because they knew more than me.

What I could not have known at that stage was that I was becoming a diluted clone in many aspects of my work. I got to the stage where I could almost recognise the influence of the leaders in other students. For example, I recall watching many mediums demonstrate and knew without doubt those that had been trained by the wonderful Tony Stockwell. He had successfully passed on parts of his presentational skills to his students. The wording, the use of humour, the gaze, the stagecraft, all similar to their mentor’s unique personality.

At that time, I was jotting down particular phrases I heard mediums use. I was watching their demonstrations, not just to admire their abilities to connect with the spirit world, but also their presentational skills. I wanted to copy them, or at least some of their skills.

There were times when I felt somewhat intimidated by the more well-known mediums. Paul Jacobs, one of the finest mediums in the UK, yet somewhat unapproachable to me. He displayed a presence that kept me feeling inferior, whether intended or of my own belief. My ignorance often suppressed me.

There were others too. The amazing Eileen Davies. Not just an incredible medium, but one of the finest tutors too. Yet, as much as I wanted to learn from her, I felt somewhat like a little fish in a big pond when around her. On more than one occasion she rightly had reason to correct me and in doing so, left me deflated and doubting myself once more. I wanted to be liked, but was going about it entirely wrongly.

If I could go back to the beginning and start again, would I change anything? With the knowledge and experience I now have after two decades of learning, absolutely yes. But understand this, I don’t have a single doubt in those teachers, their intentions, or their abilities. Every tutor that took the time to teach me and others did so with remarkable patience and abilities. It was just where I was that made the difference to how much I absorbed.

Every one of those people were important in reshaping me as a person. Their abilities and their presence were important factors. I had to learn, and doing so from a foundation of nothing was always going to be a huge task.

Around five years ago, I realised an important aspect of my unfoldment that, up until then, had been occasionally mentioned, but had meant nothing to me in those moments. It was the realisation that the one ingredient I needed to focus on more than any other in my unfoldment was in embracing my uniqueness.

I realised that I would never be another Tony Stockwell, or Colin Fry, or Derek Acorah. I won’t have that presence of Paul Jacobs, or Minister Simone Key, or an Eamonn Downey, or Minister Val Williams. Instead, I began to come to terms that I didn’t want to be anyway! I could most certainly learn from them all. But I am Trevor, a unique medium with my own strengths and weaknesses. I’m not a clone or a droid, I am the one and only me. God, forbid anyone from cloning me!

This uniqueness is something each of us have. We are not the same as anyone else. We are our own creations, different in many ways, though following a common cause. I know several incredible unique individuals that read my work that I’d be honoured to mention. I like to call them ‘spirit warriors’, each with their own personalities and set of abilities.

Ann B. has followed my work for a number of years. She is about as unique as someone could be in this field of work. She openly displays her uniqueness and that is such an healthy quality. She acts like my earth spirit mother, displaying her care, concern and yet her own take on spiritualism.

Judith G. is devoted to her personal journey with this work with spirit. She has remained humble to learn, yet excited about what she has discovered for and about herself in this process. She likes to share what she’s learnt, yet daily continues to pursue her unfoldment in her own way.

Bill C. is a gentleman that is striving through his own struggles with this work and isn’t too proud to remain humble. An intelligent student that works with an open mind and a willingness to expand his knowledge. I admire his determination to succeed in this work and yet never displays any negative characteristics. I learn from that.

Marianne B. is a lady I’ve come to know through my work. Although English is not her first language, she remains open minded and often questions some of my work, which is a very healthy stance to take. She is devoted to her work with spirit and has encapsulated her knowledge with her other work. That’s a wonderful unique ability.

There are many other wonderful people I have come to be connected to because of my public work. Each of them inspire me to better myself whilst embracing my uniqueness.

When I look at the well-known people that inspire me, I can clearly distinguish each of their unique qualities that make them stand out from others. I’m not talking about people with inflated egos, though there are a few of those on display. I’m talking about talented individuals that offer something unique to this cause.

I remember talking to Andre Djordjevitch for an interview with Spirited Talk. This man left a burning impression on me. His sincereness, his abilities, his knowledge and his humbleness were inspiring. He left me wanting to be like him, but in my own unique way. For me, he displayed a natural down-to-earth approach that blended so well with his outstanding talents as a trance healer.

Am I the unique person I desire to be nowadays? I think so, and if not entirely, I am most certainly heading in the right direction. But more important is where you are with it. Do you recognise your uniqueness? Do you embrace it as a strength and not as a weakness? Have you found your niche in this busy industry? Surely that is your uniqueness?

Allow others to inspire you, without the need to be like them. Learn from the words of others, yet arrange them in your own sentences. Stay humble to grow and to improve whilst enrichening your work with your personality. When you’ve left this world, you won’t be replaced. Your identity is your strength. Your face is your brand. Your words are your Bible.

A home is not a home without a bookshelf full of loved books. In my sanctuary there is one very large pine bookcase filled entirely with my spirit-books. Even the top has many more that I could find room for in the shelves.

There are several other piles of books nearby awaiting to be filed away somewhere, eventually. It was during moving one of those stacks that I thought of the outline for this article.

I’m a slow reader. As an example, when we go on holiday both Jane and I do a lot of reading. Either from our Kindles or from actual books I’ve smuggled into my suitcase. (Jane doesn’t like me weighing the case down with books!)

Over a two week vacation I would expect to read somewhere between 1 and 3 books, depending on their size and the quality of the content. Jane, on the other hand can read a book in a day, apparently.

But not every book in my collection deserves a place in it. I would suggest that around forty percent of the books on my shelves are frankly rubbish and hold no valuable content. I have, for example, a collection of Diana Cooper books on the bottom shelf that I wish I’d never bought! Just saying!

I have a plan to thin the books out at some time and give those I don’t want to a charity shop, but I can’t bring myself to parting with them just yet. I love my books, as you can tell.

During this recent redistribution of the few stacks I’ve read recently, I thought it might be a good idea to name the top ten books I have read over the past year that I would highly recommend to others. I’ve even ended this article with two books that I would not recommend.

The following list is not in any particular order. Every one of these books have given me something of value and as I student I would thoroughly recommend you put them on your own bucket list. To make this list complete, I have browsed through my eBooks on the Kindle and included one or two of those in this list.

I’m not going to waste time giving you a review of each book, other than a few key words. You are most welcome to copy this list to your journal for future reference and for ticking off as you read each one.

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MY COMPLETED BUCKET LIST OF READING

2022/2023

• ON THE EDGE OF THE ETHERIC
  Arthur Findlay *

  Essential | Informative | Timeless Classic

• MEDIUMSHIP- RAISING THE STANDARDS (1 & 2)
  Tim Abbott
  Tutorial | Workshop | Dipping Books (pick up and read when you want)

• TWO WORLDS AS ONE
  Val Williams
  Powerful | Educational | Compulsive

• VOICES IN THE DARK
  Leslie Flint
  Historic | Pioneer | Inspiring

• BETWEEN TWO WORLDS
  Tyler Henry
  Surprising | Modern | Detailed

• WHAT THE GREAT MEDIUMS HAVE TAUGHT US ABOUT SPIRIT GUIDES
  Maxine Meilleur
  Accurate | Researched | Must Read

• DYING TO SEE YOU
  Micky Havelock
  Easy-To-Read | Emotional | Insightful

• I AM, I CREATE
  Erin Werley
  Fascinating | Trustful | Inspirational

• WAKING UP IN THE EYE OF THE STORM
  Kavya Jaiswal
  Deep & Meaningful | Detailed | Philosophical

• PSYCHIC – THE DARK SIDE OF THE LIGHT
  Rosie Shalhoub **
  Hugely Truthful | Negatively Charged | Reflective

* I revisit this book every few years.

BONUS BOOK

After I’d compiled the list above, I came across this wonderful book that I read last year. This is definitely one to read.

• GHOSTS OF THE NHS
  Glynis Amy Allen
  Emotional | Informative | Heart-Warming

I would recommend every one of those books to students of this work, although, the one by author Rosie Shalhoub ** is an acquired taste and would not be recommendable to a naive student. Mature students however, might relate to some of the egos Rosie refers to!

Finally, here are two books I have bought and read this last year, and wish I hadn’t! There are actually quite a few, but I’ve narrowed it down to just these two. The last one came from a charity shop, so cost is irrelevant. Of course, it is a case of each to their own and some readers might find something in one of them of use. For me though – waste of time and money!

• PENDULUM HEALING
  Erich Hunter
  Inaccurate | Unhelpful | Unrealistic

• CONTACTING YOUR SPIRIT GUIDE
  Sylvia Brown
  Shallow | Pointless | Delusional

Why not follow the format I have used above and share your favourite read of the past year.

If you have any comments or feedback about this presentation, please do leave them below.

I suspect that I’m not on my own with this problem! It’s about meditation. More to the point, it’s about where my mind often is during meditating.

I used to believe I must be lacking some obvious ability when it came to meditation. I would hear comments such as, “Just clear your mind and focus.” Or “focus on your breath and follow it with your thoughts.” What? How on earth can I clear my mind?

I knew this issue was not just one that I possessed. If truth be known, the reason why so many people choose not to meditate is because of this apparent lack of control over their thoughts. When asked why they don’t meditate, the excuses range from, “I just don’t need to.” Or “I can’t. I have a monkey mind.”

Well, from my consistent failing of the basic principles of meditation over many years, I have found several techniques that work for me and I want to share with you. As you should be aware by now, meditation is NOT about emptying the mind, that is an impossibility for beginners and intermediate students. It takes many years to master the ability to go into the nothing of an empty mind, and even then there is still some activity you’re aware of at a deeper level. I have only managed to reach the empty stage a few times. Perhaps because I’m an impatient person with always more important things I need to be doing, apparently!

Meditation is a state of intense focus. Tutors will often suggest staring at a candle flame with your eyes open for several minutes before letting your eyes close naturally and continuing to see the flame with your mind’s eye. This is a good technique and works for me, but usually only for a short time. My mind gets bored!

Similar suggestions include focusing on your breathing pattern. The in-breath and the out-breath. But the challenge with this technique is avoiding changing the rhythm of the breathing and that is hard, when your mind is focused on it. And as I said a moment ago, my mind gets bored and wanders off!

I have devised my own system of focus for meditation. It works for me and it might work for you. Before I share two versions with you, you will have to develop some discipline with your thoughts. Don’t worry, with practise this comes quite easily and naturally, and you should experience an improvement from the first time.

Both of the techniques I’m going to share with you are based on the same principle – going somewhere with your thoughts deliberately. A few years ago, I released a podcast with a detailed set of instructions that could help you reach a very special place in your mind. But the feedback I received, by the lack of interest in it, told me that people didn’t take to it in the way I had set it out. Even though it worked for me, it was not accepted by others.

In my determination to find a simpler way to control my mind’s thoughts, I came up with these next two methods. I use either one of them on a regular basis and always achieve success. I will describe them to you now, as if you are participating.

METHOD 1 – THE INVISIBLE WALLS

After you’ve settled comfortably, close your eyes.

Imagine that there is an invisible wall or barrier forming in your mind between you (your mind), and the real world (the sounds around you).

Know that with every breath, you are creating the power to build the barrier stronger and thicker.

Focus on the barrier building with every breath whilst allowing your focus to gently remain within this space you have now created.

Allow the sounds of the outside world to become ‘blurred’ and no longer your main focus. Yes you will still hear the sounds, but your focus will not be directly on them.

Keep repeating this with every breath. Building your own invisible walls to the outside world, whilst improving your inner focus all the time.

That’s all there is to it. After a few practice sessions, you’ll be amazed at how much longer you can maintain that perfect focus for meditation. Within a few sessions you’ll be able to sit for 15 minutes or longer and will be so impressed with your results.

METHOD 2 – THE CATHEDRAL (my personal favourite)

After you’ve settled comfortably, close your eyes.

With your mind’s eye, see yourself stood outside your special cathedral, staring at the doors to enter that are just 20 feet in front of you. The cathedral is wherever you want it to be.

Hear all the sounds of the ‘real world’ as normal and accept them as part of your mind’s place.

Walk towards the cathedral doors and open them, before stepping inside, turning around and appreciating a last view of the people and things causing the sounds you can hear.

Close the doors and walk into the centre of the cathedral. Find yourself a seat. It can be a comfortable one that is there especially for you, or it can be one of the pews, that’s your choice. You can sit where you like.

Whilst seated, take time to allow your mind to reveal all the details of the building and the furniture, the alter, the paintings on the walls, the slabs with engraved writing on them on the floor in front of you. Observe the brass ornaments, the old pulpit, the vases with flowers, the columns and the high ceilings.

Allow your mind to build the details. It’s your cathedral, so your mind can see what it wants to see.

Sense the special energy within this vast space. Feel the energy within it. Allow the unique smell to form in your mind.

Appreciate the peace, the tranquillity, and the holiness of this building where you come whenever you want to.

Feel how welcoming this place is and how much you feel at ease here.

This is your place for meditation. It is your space, yours and only yours. It is your safe haven, your special place for connecting with your higher Self – the real you.

You will soon be aware that the sounds of the ‘real’ world are outside of the walls. You have found a peace. The sounds may be there, but they are blurred and remain outside of your cathedral.

Spend as long as you can here. Focusing on the details and appreciating how wonderful this place is for you, and you alone.

In your mind’s eye, choose to close your eyes and talk to your higher spirit, those working with you in the other realms, and the Divine power.

Spend as long as you feel comfortable in this place. When you are ready to leave, continue focus and visualise yourself walking back towards the big wooden doors where you came in.

Open them and embrace the sounds of this world that you had left behind for those minutes alone.

Open your eyes and allow yourself to contemplate what you just achieved.

This cathedral is always there for you, waiting for you to enter, close the doors and enjoy time alone with the Divine’s power.

If you’re a good student and keep a journal of your spiritual unfoldment, you might choose to write down what you experience whenever you go to your cathedral. Make a note of how your personal discipline is improving, how much longer each sitting is becoming, how happy you are when you find this peace, and any other observations you feel worth recording to your journal.

This is a key tool to use for your unfoldment. You will learn so much about yourself and your potential. With repetition and discipline, you will master the ability to meditate – and enjoy every session.

I’ll finish with one final and important detail. You’ve just read this article to this point, and I suspect you like the idea of this method. But the onus is now on you. Do it. Find time and promise yourself you will do it. It’s for your own benefit. A cathedral of your making is waiting. Who knows who you will meet there.

Your comments, observations and thoughts are always welcome. Use the comments below, or if you’re a member of our Facebook group, share your comments with our community.

I am well aware that sometimes I will say something that upsets others. This may be one such occasion, and for good reason. As the reader, I hope you make your own mind up in what fits with you best. The opinions I am about to share with you are my own and is not endorsed by any leading authorities on the subject. Read my words and allow them to be digested before you rush to condemn me.

My subject of this presentation is regarding the giving of holistic, natural energy, or spiritualist healing, of which I hold no qualifications. I am however, involved in administering energy and spirit based healing many times each week, as my partner suffers great pain with RA.

When I was a newer student and part of a private circle, I was learning from an established and well respected, certificate-holding medium, of the old-school type. She was very much an advocate of teaching us the spiritual foundations for our mediumship. Every few weeks, she would have our group sit in a circle and focus on healing each other. She taught us ways to scan for ailments and ways to visualise the energy as it manifested and went to work on us. She would combine that with suggesting we ask the Divine for help in the process.

At the end of the fifteen minute sessions we were then invited to individually share with the others in the group what we had discovered during the healing, what we sensed ourselves and what messages we might have received from the other side during that connection.

Wait a minute! Yes you read that correct. A well respected medium with accreditations from the SNU, encouraging her naive students to, not just be involved with the process of healing, but also to be aware of any communications from the spirit world during the process.

Twenty plus years later I am still passionate about the process of healing and still use those foundations I was taught for healing. I could share with you many stories of times I have administered healing on someone and after, passed on an often incredible communication from someone in the spirit world that wanted to be heard at that moment. I have never had a complaint – except from apparent expert teachers. In fact, my subjects have always left me refreshed with the healing and comforted by the communication they received. In my world, that is what a medium is supposed to do.

But this does not, apparently, sit well with major spiritualist organisations.

“Healing is healing and should not involve you connecting to the spirit world and relaying messages. Healers are forbidden to give readings during a spiritualist healing session.”

I have been told this by several ‘big name’ certificate holding healers.

“When someone comes to you for spiritualist healing, that is all you should administer. Anything you receive in the form of communication from the spirit world should not be shared with the patient. You should also not even be involved with the healing process. You should leave that to the Divine, so you should not be sensing any ailments and should be staying well out of the process.”

One certified healer further suggested to me:

“Do you think that you are more powerful than the Spiritual energy? Why would you want to be involved? And anyway, you would be breaking the working terms and conditions of your insurance policies. You would be opening yourself to law suits if something you said was deemed not appropriate.”

This may be why I would never be interested in working to qualify as a certified healer under such terms and conditions. Healing comes in many forms and is most certainly not limited to administering spiritualist healing. If that is something that some want to do, then I admire and respect them for it. But for me, there is far more to giving healing than just leaving it to the Divine, or saying on social media “Healing sent!”. If that was all that was needed, why doesn’t that healing relief come without our prompting?

These apparent experts have suggested that there are two types of energy we can attune to. Healing energy and energy for communicating with the spirit world. Really? I have questioned that, time and time again. I’ve asked to be shown how these two energies differ and how should I connect to only one type. I have asked this of many tutors over twenty years. Not one has blessed me with a concise definition or a way to recognise these two energy states. In my mind therefore, I believe it is nonsense. I therefore firmly believe that when we sit in the power of the spirit, it is one source of energy to do with as we choose for the purpose of healing and communication.

As you can now read, I am passionate about healing within my mediumship work. Healing is a deep and varied form of work, from the magnetic energy induced relief brought on by visual means, systems, and hands, to the important message from someone watching over the patient. Both are offering healing to the person.

Am I correct in my argument? That depends who you are. If you’re a certified spiritualist healer with the SNU for example, you’re likely to disagree with me, either in part or entirely. If you’re a medium working with spirit for the greater good without an affiliation to any organisation, you’ll probably agree with my sentiments.

I know without question that the healing I administer works at some level. I also have the intelligence to know when and how to pass on anything I receive from the spirit world after the healing process. I’m not stupid or uncaring. I believe I’m intelligent enough to know what is right and what isn’t.

I would like to conclude this article with a couple of stories on this subject that were shared with me from readers.

This first story was from A.B. and can be found in the comments of a recent edition.

A very close and dear friend of mine (now in Spirit) was being used for hands on Spiritual Healing. Prior to her getting to the church and healing sanctuary, whilst still at home, she was inspired to pick up a small cross and chain from her shelf, and put it in her pocket.

Later, a lady turned up at the church for healing and it was her first time. She was a little nervous. It was my friend that was going to be the channel for the healing. After my friend has administered the healing to the lady, my friend put her hand into her pocket, felt the cross and chain and chose to gently place in into the lady’s hand. No words were spoken, she just knew she had to give the lady the cross.

Later, when they both left the healing sanctuary, the lady turned to my friend and thanked her so very much.

“It means a great deal to me being given this Cross, I am a Roman Catholic and wasn’t sure whether I should come to have healing as it is against my religion. But I felt drawn to come anyway. This is proof for me that I was right to come. Thank you so very much.”

Needless to say it made my friend feel a whole lot less guilty about doing what she did, plus was confirmation that it was what was needed for the lady. Don’t we always say that spirit intelligence is a lot wiser than us? I think I will leave it there for you to judge.

This last story was also shared with us and was from Judith G.

The issue of healing and mediumship was one that effected my husband personally. I completed the healing training and got my certificate etc. My husband started his training at the same time but he always got a message for the person he was healing.

One of the healer tutors kept telling him off for giving off the message. After a few heated arguments with everyone involved my husband decided to stop his training. As he believed the message was meant to be passed on to the client. This particular tutor did not believe so, and she refused to allow it, no matter what anyone else thought.

It’s a shame as my husband was able to help people especially with headaches. I always ask him to sort mine out. It works every time, takes10 minutes, and the headache is completely gone.

In summarising, I’ll remind you that rules are there for a reason. But what is good for one practice is often not the hard and fast for all practices. If you’re administering healing under the umbrella of a strictly controlled organisation, such as the Spiritualist National Union, then it is only right and proper that you abide by their rules and guidelines. However, if you find those rules limit or restrict your work, then I would suggest it might be time to broaden your education and stop using certification as some sort of endorsement of your abilities.

The concept of a “third eye” has been present in spiritual and religious practices for thousands of years. It is often depicted as a mystical symbol, located in the centre of the forehead, and believed to have the ability to perceive beyond ordinary sight.

The history of the third eye can be traced back to ancient civilizations such as the Egyptians and Hindus. In Hinduism, the third eye is known as the ajna chakra, and it is believed to be the seat of intuition and the connection between the physical and spiritual realms. The ancient Egyptians also had a concept of a third eye, which they called the “udjat” or “wedjat” eye, and it was associated with the God Horus. A well known symbol used in Egyptian beliefs to depict the third eye is commonly known as The Eye Of Horus.

In Buddhism, the third eye is regarded as the “eye of consciousness“, representing the vantage point from which enlightenment beyond one’s physical sight is achieved. Buddhism uses an “urna” to the same effect as Hindus. The third eye, or the “Eye of Wisdom”, is discerned on the deity Buddha.

In Taoism, third eye training involves focusing attention on the point between the eyebrows with the eyes closed, and while the body is in various “qigong” postures. The goal of this training is to allow students to tune into the correct “vibration” of the universe and gain a solid foundation on which to reach a more advanced meditative state.

Taoism teaches that the third eye, also called the mind’s eye, is one of the main energy centres of the body located at the sixth Chakra, forming a part of the main meridian, the line separating left and right hemispheres of the body.

Scientifically, the pineal gland is also known as the “epiphysis cerebri,” and has been proven to have some similarities with the third eye. The pineal gland contains photoreceptor cells that can detect light, and it is also responsible for producing the neurotransmitter serotonin, which is associated with feelings of well-being and happiness. Several experts in this field believe the third eye’s microscopic vision can detect and observe objects as small as quarks.

Evidence suggests that the pineal gland may also play a role in spiritual experiences. Some studies have shown that people who meditate regularly have increased levels of melatonin and greater activity in the pineal gland. Other research has suggested that the pineal gland may be involved in the release of dimethyltryptamine [DMT], a powerful psychedelic substance that is believed to be produced naturally in the brain.

Despite the scientific evidence, the concept of the third eye remains primarily a spiritual and mystical one. Many people believe that by awakening the third eye, they can achieve spiritual enlightenment and perceive the world in a new way. Some spiritual practices, such as yoga and meditation, are known to help open the third eye by increasing the flow of energy in the body and activating the pineal gland.

|| PRACTICAL METHODS FOR LEARNING TO OPEN THE THIRD EYE

Meditation

Meditation helps to calm the mind and focus your attention on your inner self, allowing you to tap into your intuition and increase your spiritual awareness. To open your third eye through meditation, find a quiet and comfortable place to sit and close your eyes. Focus your attention on your breath, and allow your mind to become still. As you meditate, visualize the third eye opening, and allow yourself to become aware of any images or insights that come to you.

Yoga

Yoga is another effective way to open the third eye. Yoga postures, or asanas, help to open up the energy channels in the body, allowing the energy to flow more freely. Some of the most effective yoga postures for opening the third eye include, child’s pose, eagle pose, and the shoulder stand. Practising yoga regularly can help to increase your spiritual awareness and awaken your intuition.

Visualisation

Visualisation is a powerful technique for opening the third eye. Visualisation involves using your imagination to create a mental picture of what you want to achieve. To open the third eye using visualisation, visualise a bright light in the centre of your forehead, and imagine it getting brighter and brighter with each breath. As you visualise this light, allow yourself to become aware of any images or insights that come to you.

Crystals

Crystals have been used for centuries for their healing properties. Certain crystals are believed to be particularly effective for opening the third eye. Some of the most effective crystals to use include, amethyst, clear quartz, and lapis lazuli. To use crystals for this purpose, place the crystal on your forehead or wear it as a necklace.

Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy is another effective way. Certain scents are believed to be particularly effective for opening the third eye, including, lavender, frankincense, and sandalwood. To use aromatherapy, burn these scents in an essential oil diffuser or use them in a meditation practice.

Sound Healing

Sound healing and mantras can help awaken your third eye chakra by activating your intuition and connecting you to your spiritual self. Chanting the mantra, Om, can help balance your chakras and enhance your spiritual practice. Tibetan sound bowls or tuning forks can also be used for sound healing and chakra balancing.

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Balancing the third eye chakra is allegedly essential for achieving spiritual growth and developing your intuition. It is said that when this chakra is in balance, you’ll feel a greater sense of self-awareness, clarity, and focus. It can also help you feel more connected to your intuition and increase your ability to make decisions with confidence.

Experts on opening the third eye suggest that an imbalanced or blocked third eye chakra can manifest in many ways, including difficulty focusing, feeling disconnected from your intuition and spiritual practices, and lack of clarity in decision-making. Physical symptoms can include headaches, eye strain, and sinus problems.

Practitioners in this field suggest that the cleansing is an essential step when it comes to activating your third eye. According to the experts, cleansing allows you to release any negative energy or emotions that may be blocking your chakra and prepare yourself for spiritual growth and intuitive development.

As with so many practices within spiritual work, setting intentions and creating a sacred space is an essential part of preparing yourself for third eye activation. Take the time to connect with yourself and your intuition, and set your intentions. Creating a sacred space as a ritual can also help you feel more grounded and connected to your spiritual journey.

Opening your third eye may seem like a mystical and exciting adventure, but it’s important to acknowledge the challenges and fears that may arise along the way. Some people have reported challenges include feeling overwhelmed with information, experiencing anxiety or paranoia, or even feeling detached from reality. It’s important to remember that everyone’s experience is unique, and there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to third eye-opening. It’s always good advice to get support and guidance from those that have experience and can offer genuine help.

Learning to open your third eye can bring a range of benefits, such as heightened intuition and awareness, improved mental clarity and focus, and deeper spiritual connection and understanding. When your third eye is open, you’ll be able to access higher states of consciousness and tune into a more profound understanding of the world around you.

Opening your third eye is a deeply transformative process that requires patience, dedication, and an open mind. By following the techniques and practices outlined in this edition, you can begin to activate and balance your third eye chakra and discover the profound benefits that come with heightened spiritual awareness and intuition.

Remember to listen to your body, trust your intuition, and seek support and guidance whenever you need it. With practice and perseverance, you can unlock the full potential of your third eye and embark on a journey of self-discovery and spiritual growth.

The great news is that anyone can open their third eye with practice and dedication. However, it’s important to note that everyone’s journey is unique, and some people may experience a more effortless process than others. It’s important to trust your own experience and not get involved in comparing your journey.

While opening your third eye is generally considered safe, it’s important to approach any spiritual practice with caution and self-awareness. If you have a history of mental health issues or trauma, it’s recommended to seek guidance from a mental health professional or spiritual teacher before beginning any spiritual practice. It’s also important to practice grounding techniques and self-care to avoid becoming ungrounded or disconnected from reality.

Some common signs of an opening third eye include increased intuition and psychic abilities, heightened sensory experiences, and a greater sense of spiritual awareness. You may also experience physical sensations in the forehead or crown area, such as pressure or tingling. It’s important to listen to your body and trust your intuition when navigating these experiences.

While there are many techniques for opening the third eye, it is important to remember that this process takes time and dedication.

Researched & Written by Trevor Baldwin – MAY 2023
1513 words | 7 minute reading time
This article was also used to produce an AI Podclass for Spirited Talk Podcasts

For many years I have incorporated a pendulum into my healing sessions on my partner Jane. She suffers with swollen ankles which is caused by a combination of issues, rheumatoid arthritis and water retention due to lymph gland issues. The condition is painful and renders her unable to spend too long on her feet during the day without experiencing severe pain as well as unsightly swellings.

When the condition is ‘flaring’, Jane desperately wishes for some relief from the pain. During these regular phases, I spend up to 30 minutes every night administering spiritual healing. The method I use is one I’ve learnt from my own experience over time that brings the best results.

The eradication of Jane’s issues is not possible, even with all the medical intervention from experts of the condition. She has been told that this is an issue she will have to live with and although she is taking a variety of tablets and treatments, none get rid of the pain entirely, or for very long. My natural healing helps, but is unlikely to bring on a miracle cure. That is something all holistic healers should accept. Medical assistance helps with the physical body, while the spiritual & natural healing helps with the energies around the body, particularly the areas of concern. The two healing methods compliment each other with each serving a specific purpose.

In sharing my words with you, I have to be careful in making a few points clear. One, like most physical ailments, medical intervention is important. Spiritual or natural holistic healing is not a substitute on its own. Two, the methods I describe below are based on my own experiences and may be entirely different to methods taught by spiritualist healing experts, of which I am not one. The final point is that I have been doing this for many years and always follow a strict routine whilst expecting limited physical results.

What I have come to expect from the healing sessions is an eventual short-term recession from the pain. After a number of sessions, Jane’s pain disappears and her ankles return to a more normal state whilst the flaring subsides and the ailment is in regression. The length of the regressive state can be anything from a few days to a month or more. During this time, I tend not to continue healing.

I’m about to share with you my routine for administering holistic healing to Jane. As a reminder, this is my method and is not necessarily one recommended for others without a full understanding of the process.

I start by getting comfortable, sitting cross-legged at the foot of the bed, with my lower arms able to move freely over Jane’s swollen ankle. I have a tiny torch with me that casts a tiny amount of light over the work area. A random piece of my healing music is used as a background focus, though very quietly playing.

This is important – I always start the session by saying The Lord’s Prayer. This is my way of setting the intent to be good and right. For a short period of time after, I talk to the Divine force and those in the spirit world that may choose to assist with the healing. From my own experiences, I am aware of when those people are assisting.

During this time, I am attuning to my senses and heightening my awareness as I would during a sitting in the power session. When I feel ready, I pick up my pendulum to start the session. I have many pendulums to choose from, but recently I have been using either a brass pendulum, exactly as in the photo above, or a similar copper one. These metal ones have proven to be very powerful.

I hold the pendulum by the bead at the end of the chain, using the tip of my thumb and first finger. I prop my elbow on a pillow or my knee, but make sure the lower arm is free to move without obstruction.

This next part is important, and will take some people many weeks of practice to experience. I imagine the universal healing energy flowing through my arm, down the chain and out through the tip of the pendulum. At the same time, I place my mind on sensing any forces, pulls or blocks to the pendulum. Slowly and with a deliberate gentleness I move the pendulum around the foot and ankle, paying attention to any forces that are varying the movement of the pendulum.

I have learnt to detect areas where the energy give off from the foot can be felt through the pendulum, like a resistance to move. These feeling are extremely subtle and may take newcomers to this work many sessions to develop a sensitivity for.

When I have established a point of resistance, I allow the pendulum to swing around it in a clockwise motion. Very little force is required to keep the pendulum swinging in the circular motion. It is during this stage that Jane often reports being able to sense where I am working, even though I am working up to 4 inches above the area. She will report feeling a tingling sensation. This sensation can and often does become quite severe, as the swinging stage continues.

The swinging stage can last up to 10 minutes, though often a little shorter. I instinctively know when to stop the pendulum. That part I cannot explain, I just know that enough has been done. I don’t know what has happened though this process, except that the point of resistance to the pendulum has now vanished. Something has happened to the energy. According to experts on pendulum healing, there is a balancing of energies that happens during the swinging period.

After the swinging pendulum has stopped, I place it alongside me and continue with healing with my dominant healing hand. I start with the hand above the area and again I use my sensitivity to narrow down an exact point where I should place my palm.

Activity is easily sensed during this phase and is often where Jane feels the most from the changing energies. Sometimes I’m made aware that there might be some pain or discomfort felt by Jane and I usually advise her of so. She will respond accordingly when she feels it.

Jane will often believe I am pressing very hard on the ankle during the healing. This is not so, and often my hands are not actually on her. It is the result of the energy changes that she is feeling. Again, I intuitively or instinctively know when the healing is over. To finish the session, I thank the Divine for the help and then suggest that Jane moves her foot around a little before she rests to sleep.

Questions You Might Ask

Does the healing work?

Yes, at some level, it always works. It cannot cure, but it can bring ease of pain, even if only for a short while of a few hours or days. When consistently done over many nights, the pain often goes away for days and weeks at a time, before it returns, as is the nature of the disease.

Do you have to get involved in the actual healing?

Spiritualist healers will have no need to get involved, however, I am not administering that type of healing. I have attuned myself to my healing work and am able to be actively involved with the process. If I’m not able to be involved, I will leave the work to the Divine forces.

Why are the metal pendulums working better for you?

Through the subtle light, I am able to see an aura around the pendulum and a ray of light leaving the pendulum tip into the foot. Through my experience, I have found better results coming from the brass or copper pendulums. Understand though, I have become very sensitised to this work due to the many years of administering it.

How do you know people in spirit are helping with the healing?

This is very subjective, but they occasionally give me instructions. I was once advised by a doctor in spirit that the healing energy I give is a good medium for them to do their work through. The energy is something they use for the process from their side. The spirit guides also make me aware of when the healing energy is going to some other part of the body, (usually confirmed by Jane) and what sensations Jane might feel. They even tell me when Jane is likely to feel intend discomfort during the process. Again, all of these are confirmed by Jane during the healing session.

Are your methods of administering healing the best ways?

I’ve no idea! I just know that they work for me and Jane, and the results are often tangible. I do know that there are thousands of holistic healers across the globe, each either following a taught system of healing, or working their own ways that they have developed for themselves. My methods are mine and I would not expect others to either believe them to be correct, or in align with authorities, such as the Spiritualist National Union’s healing policies.

How important is healing in your unfoldment?

It is the most important aspect of my work and the foundations for any good mediumship. Communication with the spirit world is often underestimated for its healing powers and in my personal journey, I couldn’t imagine being without the ability to administer healing. As I said, it is the foundations of my work with spirit.

As a bonus, here is a track of music from my collection that I often use. I don’t own it, but it is freely available on YouTube.

This track can be found HERE

CAVEAT

The methods and instructions contained in this article do not represent a commonly known method of healing. They are the methods used by the author. If they vary from your beliefs, go with what you believe most.

So many people will say the same old arguments about why they don’t meditate. It is often because of a few misguided notions they believe, yet they are often wrong.

BUT I CAN’T MEDITATE, I DON’T HAVE THE TIME TO

Sounds like a reason to meditate rather than to not. You have the same amount of time in a day as everyone else and anyway, you only need a few minutes to begin with. Everyone can find a few minutes every day.

MY MIND IS ALWAYS TOO ACTIVE

That’s good, but everyone’s is. You’d be dead if it wasn’t active!

DON’T YOU HAVE TO CLEAR YOUR MIND TO BE ABLE TO MEDITATE?

Not as such. That is an impossibility. Meditation isn’t about clearing the mind, it’s about focusing the mind instead.

I’M SO TIRED, I WOULD PROBABLY FALL ASLEEP

Well, some might consider that as success. All you need to learn is a small discipline of not allowing yourself to fall asleep. But it’s no big deal if you do, unless you do it at work!

BUT I WOULDN’T KNOW WHAT TO FOCUS ON

Come on, help yourself! A candle flame is a good starter. You can stare at that with your eyes open until you’re ready to shut them. Then continue to see the candle with your mind.

I DON’T BELIEVE MEDITATION IS IMPORTANT

Oh boy, the age-old argument. Believe me, it really is. Meditation is an important discipline , especially in our work with the spirit world.

BUT I’M A GOOD MEDIUM AND I DON’T MEDITATE

Good for you. But you could be even better if you committed some time to meditating once in a while.

MEDITATION WON’T HELP TO IMPROVE MY SPIRITUAL WORK

Wanna bet? It is one of the best tools to unfolding a deeper connection, attuning to the spirit world and heightening your senses.

SO, MEDITATION IS ABOUT CONNECTING TO THE SPIRIT WORLD?

Absolutely not, though you might! Meditation is about focus. Meditation is about destressing, rest, recharging, opening other avenues, introducing calmness, relaxing and a thousand other benefits. You can sit for a spirit connection, but you’re going to gain more in the long term by sitting for your own benefits.

THE PROBLEM IS I GET DISTRACTED BY THE SOUNDS AROUND ME

Then you need to practice more! You can use a piece of tuneless music, of which there are thousands to choose from free on YouTube. You can use a guided meditation performed by someone of well standing in the field. You can build mental walls to defocus the noise and focus inwards. You can even acknowledge the noises and let them pass by bringing your focus back to your meditation.

It’s all about a bit of discipline, a desire and commitment to keep practising. You may start off by sitting for only a few minutes at a time. That is perfectly ok. Over time and with practice, you’ll soon find yourself enjoying the experience and sitting for much longer periods each time. You don’t have to sit in an uncomfortable position with your legs crossed. You don’t need to sit with your hands open and looking like some kind a reborn guru. You don’t need anything or anywhere. You just need to do it.

Establishing a regular practice of meditation is one of the best personal disciplines you can undertake. Not just for your work with the spirit world, but for the other benefits I mentioned.

The greatest of all benefits with meditation is. . . it’s completely free!

As a bonus for you to enjoy, here is the A.I Version of this article. Click the banner above if you wish to hear over 100 more episodes like this one.

I’m going to start this article with a personal confession. I’ve not always been the sharpest knife in the drawer! So, what am I saying in that opening sentence? Do the words “I’ve not always been . . .” suggest that I am sharper now?

Bear with me with my emotive opening! Let me open with a confession instead. As a child, I was not encouraged to take education seriously. I was immature and made loads of mistakes in my early life. Was it all my parents’ fault or was it mine alone? My belief is that it was largely because of my parents, but that is only my emotive opinion.

Until a couple of years ago I had no idea what the word “emotive” meant, yet already I have used the word three times in this opening! Like so many other big words, until I took the time to learn the meaning of emotive it was just another fancy word that was used by others that understood its meaning. But like so many other aspects of my education, one day, I took the time to find out what the meaning was. And what a powerful and rich word it is.

The word emotive is derived from the term emotion, which refers to a strong feeling or mood that is often intense and short-lived. The use of emotive language is specifically designed to evoke an emotional response in the reader or listener. This can be accomplished through the use of certain words or phrases that are associated with strong emotions or by using persuasive techniques that appeal to the reader’s emotions.

In literature, emotive language is often used to create a particular mood or atmosphere in a story or poem. For example, the use of words like “bleak,” “desolate,” and “dreary” in a description of a landscape can evoke feelings of sadness or melancholy in the reader. Similarly, the use of vivid imagery and sensory details can help to create a sense of realism and emotional depth in a literary work.

In advertising and marketing, emotive language is often used to persuade consumers to buy a particular product or service. Advertisements may use words and phrases like “luxurious,” “premium,” or “exclusive” to create a sense of desire or aspiration in the consumer. Similarly, charity appeals may use emotive language to create a sense of empathy and urgency in the reader or viewer, encouraging them to donate to a particular cause.

Emotive language can also be used in political and social contexts to persuade or influence people’s opinions and beliefs. Politicians may use emotive language to appeal to voters’ emotions, using words and phrases that are associated with values like patriotism, freedom, or justice. Similarly, activists may use emotive language to create a sense of outrage or anger around a particular issue, motivating people to take action or to support a particular cause.

Overall, emotive language is a powerful tool that can be used to create strong emotional responses in the reader or listener. Whether used in literature, advertising, politics, or social activism, emotive language has the ability to capture people’s attention and to influence their attitudes and behaviours. As such, it is important for writers and speakers to be mindful of the emotional impact of their words and to use emotive language ethically and responsibly.

The speaker that is using an emotive word or phrase is often doing so to relay their own opinion. But opinions are not facts, and in using emotive words we are usually only doing so in the hope of bolstering our point of view.

Do we, and should we use emotive words in our mediumship?

Yes, we do and yes it is okay to do so, but be careful. Using emotive phrases is often part of the medium’s natural vocabulary.

“He tells me that he’s always loved you and now he can appreciate how badly he treated you when he was alive.”

Two emotive phrases in one straightforward message. Perfectly usable and necessary. But what about this rewording of the same message. . .

“He tells me that he’s always loved you. I think you believe he treated you wrong, and if he did, he’s sorry for that.”

That last wording attempts to shift the blame over the issues and suggests that if the recipient believes he treated them wrong, he is sorry. But only if? Also, the medium has introduced his or her’s own opinion into the message with the words, “I think”.

The truth is that we all use emotive language every day of our lives. But the challenge with introducing emotive words is being aware if the use of the words is necessary.

I MADE A MISTAKE USING EMOTIVE LANGUAGE

I used an emotive sentence in a recent article in The Inspired Spirit. In the specific piece, I was discussing ‘The Greater Good’ and used an example of emotive language that appeared unsubstantiated. Here’s the quote:

Another example of the greater good is the idea of herd immunity in public health. Vaccination is a crucial tool in protecting individuals from infectious diseases, as we recently discovered with the covid pandemic. But it also has wider benefits for society as a whole. Those that chose not to be vaccinated, now benefit from the greater good of the others that did. When enough people are vaccinated, the risk of an outbreak is reduced, which protects vulnerable individuals who may not be able to receive the vaccine.

I wrote that incorrectly and was pulled up over it by a reader, thankfully. Here’s the sentence I’m referring to:

Those that chose not to be vaccinated, now benefit from the greater good of the others that did.

There is some evidence to substantiate my claim, but I did not offer any. What I wrote was my educated opinion and it came across as strongly emotive. If I had been more careful in the wording of that sentence, I could have made the same point, but without opinionising it.

EMOTIVE STATEMENTS ARE PART OF OUR DAILY LANGUAGE

Let’s be completely honest here. Few of us are alert enough to think about everything we say before we say it. Least of all me! But that does not excuse us when expressing our opinions in an emotive way.

If I were to write, “some mediums are rubbish and don’t show much evidence of life after death”, I am stating a very emotive sentence that is based on an opinion. It is downright inaccurate and lacks any understanding of our work, even if there might be a tiny bit of truth in it.

But if I write, “ mediums vary in their depth of connection with the spirit world, and this is often reflected in the power of the message,” I’ve made the same point without offending anyone, even though it remains partially an opinion.

In conclusion, understanding the power of emotive language is a useful skill in communicating. Emotive words and phrases can be comforting and enlightening. But they can also be wrong and damaging to the recipient.

Has this article been interesting or useful to you? I would love to read your comments.

 

Sympathy and empathy are two words that are often used interchangeably, but they have distinct meanings and implications. Both are emotions that are often directed toward other people, but they differ in their level of emotional engagement and understanding. In this episode, we’ll explore the differences between sympathy and empathy, including their definitions, characteristics, and examples.

Sympathy is defined as the feeling of concern or sorrow for another person’s misfortune. It involves recognising someone’s pain or suffering and feeling sorry for them, without necessarily sharing in their emotional experience. In other words, sympathy is a more passive emotion, where one acknowledges someone else’s emotions but does not necessarily feel the same way. It is often expressed through words of comfort or a kind gesture, such as sending flowers or offering condolences.

Empathy, on the other hand, is defined as the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person. It involves putting oneself in someone else’s shoes and experiencing their emotions as if they were one’s own. Empathy requires a deeper level of emotional engagement and understanding than sympathy. It is often expressed through active listening, verbal reassurance, or physical gestures of comfort.

Another difference between the two emotions is their potential impact on the person receiving them. Sympathy can be helpful and comforting, but it may not be enough to alleviate someone’s pain or suffering. Empathy, on the other hand, can be a powerful tool for healing, as it helps to create a deeper sense of connection and understanding between people.

To illustrate the difference between sympathy and empathy, let us consider a few examples. Imagine that someone close to you has recently lost a loved one. If you offer sympathy, you might say something like, “I’m so sorry for your loss.” This acknowledges the person’s pain and expresses your concern for them, but it does not necessarily require you to share in their emotional experience.

If, however, you offer empathy, you might say something like, “I can’t imagine what you’re going through, but I’m here for you.” This shows that you are trying to understand the person’s emotions on a deeper level and that you are willing to provide support and comfort.

Sympathy and empathy are two emotions that are often used interchangeably, but they have distinct meanings and implications. Sympathy is a more passive emotion that involves acknowledging someone else’s emotions, while empathy is a more active emotion that involves understanding and sharing the other person’s emotions. Both emotions can be helpful and comforting, but empathy has the potential to create a deeper sense of connection and understanding between people, which can be a powerful tool for healing and support.

In mediumship, the use of these emotional skills is often difficult to control. Often, the medium is fully emersed in the connection. The communication naturally involves at least three people. The recipient, the spirit connect and the medium. Although mediums are often taught to avoid ‘taking on’ the emotional states of their connection, that is not always easy to avoid.

Most mediums will be able to share stories of reading where both the person in spirit and the recipient have been in an upsetting emotional state. It takes great skill for a medium to leave such powerful emotions out of a reading, without investing some of their own in the process.

Both sympathy and empathy can be used in a reading situation. It remains with the medium to gauge which and by what proportions. Too much sympathy is often not very comforting to the recipient. Too much empathy will, more often than not, leave the medium drained of their own energy and laden with distress. Getting the balance correct takes great awareness.

Observing the more experienced mediums is often a useful way to understand the balance of sympathy and empathy they use. Their skill is in knowing how much of themselves they should naturally invest in their reading.

To observe this in action, go watch a YouTube video from one of the great mediums, Gordon Higginson. See how much of each emotional state he uses during his readings. You’ll be surprised at what you learn!

This article has also been produced as an AI Podclass for The Spirited Talk Podcasts, for paid subscribers.

 

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