I often reflect on how my relationship with the Spirit world has evolved into what it is today. Some people can pinpoint the moment they realized they were consciously connecting with Spirit. For me though, I cannot recall a time when I wasn’t aware of their presence.
My Story
I grew up in a small Massachusetts town. My parents are hardworking people who to this day devote much time to their community and to the church their faith was built upon. For as long as I can remember, my grandmother and mother just knew things. My sister and I would talk to imaginary friends. We often experienced unexplained phenomena such as doors opening and closing without the assistance of people or pets, and footsteps seemingly running up and down staircases. In my home these experiences were accepted as normal.
Some nights I would awake from a sound sleep only to see someone standing near my bed or outside my window. I laugh remembering how I would sleep with a scarf around my neck and blankets over my head thinking I would be safe, for the teachings of my religious upbringing taught me that experiences like these were the work of the darkness, not the light.
Yet as I continued to have more of these unexplained encounters, my curiosity grew and I found myself beginning to believe in things I couldn’t see with my eyes or touch with my hands.
Inner Knowing
Time passed and I can recall a conflicting feeling as to what I was being taught about death, dying, heaven, hell and the like to what my soul knew as truth. My questioning strengthened my inner knowing of a loving God. My intuition and empathic nature manifested many opportunities for me to learn and grow. I learned early on that others did not see the people I was waving to in the window of the houses we would pass by. Not everyone experienced lucid dreams where their loved ones reunited with them.
While other children played house, I longed to hold séances, hypnotize friends, engage in table tipping, talk to trees and animals, and consciously feel the energies of Mother Earth. In response to my wild preoccupations, I was often told by family, teachers and friends that I had a very vivid imagination. Yet there was a part of me that always knew what I experienced was real – and that there was even more!
And then as it happens to many of us as we age, I felt pulled to conform to fit in with my peers. Suddenly, I was more concerned with the tasks of life that could be measured or explained with our physical senses and science. Logic took the driver’s seat, and my connection to Spirit was relegated to the back.
Conscious Connection
But that does not mean that Spirit left me. In fact, though I was doing my best to conform, my life path was eclectic to say the least! And today I know that I was being led by my guides on a path that would eventually bring me back front and center to this work.
I have always loved being with people, helping them to be the very best they can be. As I grew into adulthood, it felt natural to move into the field of cosmetology. I loved spending time with my clients, listening and supporting them through whatever was happening in their lives. It was in these moments, that I found myself recognizing that I was able to know what someone was feeling before they even uttered the words.
Sometimes, as I chatted with my clients I would find them looking puzzled after having said something to them about their life, that in hindsight, I should have no logical way of knowing. They would ask me about these moments, and the best I could figure is that they must have told me previously. However, many of them would tell me that this was absolutely not the case, as some of the things I talked about hadn’t been mentioned by them to anyone in years.
Mediumship
Over time, I grew accustomed to having such moments like these with not just my clients, but with everyone I met in my daily life. They became such a natural part of my existence that I didn’t question what was happening. I just accepted it as “what is” … until the day I went to a mediation circle.
In my mind, I couldn’t make sense of what I heard. What was she talking about?
Within minutes, one of the women in the group asked another woman if she could “come to her”, and then proceeded to speak about a man who had a message for her, describing him in appearance and mannerisms. Once the woman recognized who this man was, the woman giving the message proceeded to share the sentiments he wanted this woman in the group to know. And when she was done delivering these sentiments, she ended with “And I leave you with the blessings of Spirit”.
As I sat in awe, I suddenly began to feel a part of the group. These people were like me! They just “knew” things like I did; things that couldn’t be explained by logic or scientific proof.
During this time, as I sat there with my head spinning, trying to take this all in, the facilitator looked at me and asked what, if anything, did I receive. I laughed nervously and began to talk of what I saw playing out in my mind’s eye.
I shared with them a story about a woman sitting across from me that unfolded like a video in my mind. In it she was about 16 years old and was wearing a distinct bathing suit and floppy hat. Her father gathered up the family and began driving them in a light blue Volkswagen bus, from Michigan to California, for their summer vacation. Suddenly I was on a beach and there was teenage boy. He told me he liked to surf and for some reason I began to feel like I was drowning. Next, this boy began bouncing a beach ball on the back of the woman I was giving this message to, trying desperately to get her attention – for he had had a crush on her and wanted her to know. Feeling like the movie had come to an abrupt end, I simply stopped speaking and was astounded by what I heard next.
This woman with whom I had been speaking to began to validate just about everything I had brought through as fact. She indeed had the distinct bathing suit and floppy hat I had seen. She had indeed grown up in Michigan and when she was 16, her father had come home one day surprising them with the light blue VW bus and the trip to California. She fondly remembered the boy on the beach and the crush he had on her, though she never knew what had come of him; she couldn’t confirm if he had drown. Touched by this experience, she thanked me for the messages and the facilitator closed the circle.
Trusting Spirit
After that circle, other synchronistic events brought more amazing opportunities and wonderful teachers into my life. Inside me was a knowingness of how important it is honor life on both sides of the veil, as this inexplicable connection to those who have passed onto the other side is a beautiful gift and incredible responsibility.
As my journey continues, I know that more will be revealed to me and others as I continue to do my utmost to lift the veil with light, love and integrity. My relationship with my guides, my clients, and those beyond the veil will continue to deepen. Hearts will be opened and souls will heal in ways that can’t be imagined today. For this gift of mediumship proves that life continues on long after we leave our physical bodies, and that the love we share with others truly never dies.