Many people write in to ask me about making contact with loved ones who have crossed into spirit and though I’ve written other posts about it, I thought I’d write another in the hopes that this one might offer what the others perhaps did not. But before I get into that, many of you might wonder how it is that I am an authority on the subject. Well here’s the best answer I can give: I’m not. BUT, I do make contact with the spirit world and I have wonderful experiences when doing so! It is those experiences that I share. Well, that and what spirit moves me to write! (the creation of anything…such as this blog post…is an interaction with spirit!). I am not a medium in the same way that the late Sylvia Brown was a medium, nor am I anything near as talented as the Long Island Medium, Theresa Caputo. Fact is, MOST people who connect with spirit are not mediums by trade. BUT, everyone has the ability to interact with the spirit world in some way. Problem is, there are many, many people who don’t believe it, are afraid to do it or would rather someone else do the contacting while they simply enjoy the communication as a third party. I know I say the following a lot but it can’t be said enough…we are spiritual beings living in a physical body and given that…we are directly connected to spirit…all the time, every second of every day (making the “we are one” thing a very true statement!).

When we move our consciousness from spirit to the physical world (by entering a physical body), our Ego will eventually take over our life somewhat by filtering our experiences. The Ego’s job is to keep us grounded in the physical world (otherwise, I don’t think we’d want to be here, not at all). But (there’s always a “but” isn’t there?), babies and young children haven’t yet developed their Egos so they have the unique experience of being more aware of the spirit world than those of us who are under our Ego’s influence.

Some of you may have noticed babies looking at apparently nothing and yet appear to be very fixated on something (animals do that too!). We adults can’t see what they see because the Ego has filtered it out. The babies, however, don’t have the Ego to contend with so they can see beyond the physical realm. Since we are speaking of this, I have to tell you about a recurring experience I had when I owned a small family campground. Over the course of time we came to the conclusion that angels hung out in the office area where people came to register for campsites. We arrived at this conclusion because it was quite often that we witnessed babies actively watching something with their eyes, their faces animated with pleasure as they babbled and smiled. They were always looking up toward the ceiling and there was never anything there that we could see. And yet, there had to be SOMETHING holding their delighted attention. The parents of these babies were struck with wonder and even some apprehension for they’d look up, see nothing, then stare at their child in bafflement. I was always quick to point out the fact that whatever they saw, it wasn’t threatening or anything to be concerned about.  Since the babies always reacted joyfully, it can only mean positive spirit energy was affecting them and there can’t be anything wrong with that!

Another strange thing that many people experience is having their children remember a past life. My own son, in fact, used to talk about his “former” life as a man all the time. As a two and three year old, he shouldn’t have known any of the stuff he often talked about. He spoke of having a wife, being in an accident, dying, coming back and even shared his adventures as a pilot in the Korean war! These instances with my son helped reinforce the whole issue of reincarnation for me. I was already a believer, anyway, because as an adolescent on through my teenage years, I had dreams of being another person. These dreams were not strange or bizarre in any way, other than the fact it was ME but not me as I am now. Those dreams had an air of realism to them that made it hard to ignore once I was awake. In fact, upon waking, I often had a hard time reacquainting myself with my current life situation! I also had several prophetic dreams and went through many, many spirit interactions. All these experiences helped to form the beliefs I hold to this day. And that’s how it works with us, right? We learn from experience.

Despite my convictions on what it is I do and do not believe, it used to worry me what others thought, especially if they didn’t agree with me or believed the exact opposite. Thankfully, I’m secure enough in my own convictions that it doesn’t bother me what people think anymore. It just doesn’t matter. After all, I don’t go around trying to press my beliefs on others and just so long as they aren’t trying to do that to me either, then what does it matter? It doesn’t. The only time it matters what others think is when they use their beliefs to inflict harm on other people. I’m thinking of the radical extremists (of any religion or thought process!) that believe it’s okay to treat others with contempt, condemnation and cold-hearted carelessness. When people think they are better than those who are not of like mind, they have a LOT yet to learn! But that’s another intense topic that I don’t want to get into right now! The fact is, once we make up our minds about a belief and it becomes something that we KNOW, well, there’s no changing what IS. I mean (for instance), now that I KNOW the sky is blue, you can’t come along and convince me that it’s really pink. The only way I’d end up changing my mind on the matter is if I have a personal experience that showed me, first-hand, that the sky is indeed pink! (I’m thinking here about the fact that people used to believe the world was flat. No way would they believe otherwise until it was proven to be round!) So for the most part, our acquisition of knowledge comes from our first-hand experiences and we acquire that from our walk through life. Given that, no matter how detailed the telling of another’s walk, they are not MY experiences. What it all boils down to is the fact that we are all on a spiritual quest…a journey of the soul…and we all are taking that journey at our own pace, traveling this way and that, willy-nilly and yon.

I’ve written a previous blog post about this dream I’m about to share but it is such a profound dream that I feel I should share it again. Besides, when a dream sticks with you in absolute clarity after many, many years…well it’s an important dream. One to take heed of. Dreams like that stick around in the mind for a reason! So anyway…I dreamed I was in church. There were no pews, however. The seating area was like what you’d see in an amphitheater. The priest delivered this beautiful message about receiving spirit and how we are all one of God’s own then he invited us to come and share in the “body of Christ” (the Eucharist). Well I went to stood in this really, really long line of people. Needless to say, it was a slow moving line and a hard, arduous one at that! In fact, we had to climb over obstacles along the way. By the time I reached the priest I was soaked in sweat and panting with exhaustion. But by gosh I’d made it! I happily accepted the Eucharist, feeling like I really earned it, and went back to my seat where my companion was already sitting. After I was settled next to him (he was looking remarkably refreshed, I might add!) he asked me, “What took you so long?” and I waved my hand at the long line (which was STILL long by the way!). Then I asked him, “How did you get back here so fast?” and he says, “I just walked right on up to him and he gave me the Eucharist without delay. Why ever did you choose to go in that long line?” And I look and there’s space enough for another line but no one is in it. All I could think as I stared at that empty space was “Why in the world did I get in the other line then?”

I woke up from that dream and was at once struck by its message. In fact, thinking of it now, it puts me in mind of the poem “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost. Every time we make a decision about something, it starts us down a new road. And each road has its own set of experiences. What I find most curious is the fact that many of us like to travel the same roads! The ones most traveled. The crowded, jam-packed, challenging ones. Why is it that we sometimes choose those that are beaten down or even destroyed? Despite the choices we make, the time it takes, the obstacles we need to overcome, in the end, we are all going to end up in the same place. Some of us are just going to get there faster (and more easily) than others! And honestly, there are some people in this world that I wonder if they will ever make it at all! But anyway…

My encounters with spirit have led me along the path in life that I now move through and though it’s brought me many setbacks, I’m quite happy to be right where I am! Which is at a point where I know it is possible to talk to those who have passed from physical life and are residing in spirit. The majority of us have encountered SOME SORT of spiritual interaction. Some more bizarre than others I’ll admit for some of the stories people have shared with me have totally baffled my mind! And when that happens, it makes me realize just how much we don’t know about “life” and “being in existence”. Which is why, for me anyway, the quest continues.

I have come to understand a few things and one of them is this: Our spiritual energy is REAL and it’s POWERFUL. I know NOTHING can overpower it unless we ALLOW it. We can connect to this spiritual energy through our imagination. In fact, the imagination is the doorway into the spiritual realm! When the mind is FOCUSED and PURPOSEFUL with INTENT, we can easily connect (become aware) of the “real world”. That being, of course, the SPIRITUAL REALM.

Just a few days ago I  got together with three family members who had recently lost their mother (for two of them) and mother-in-law for the other. The lady who had crossed into spirit was my aunt and when she was physically with us, she LOVED talking to those on the “other side” via table tipping. We decided to try and contact her in the same way so all day long, up until my cousins arrived at my home, I thought about my aunt and sent out an invitation to the spirit world, asking loved ones who wanted to “talk” to us to please come and do so. Although these three women had never table tipped before and were nervous about doing so, that table started in the moment we put our hands on it! My dear aunt was quite, quite ready to operate that table and talk to us! We had a really meaningful experience and my cousins found some peace of mind. It’s very comforting to KNOW that those we love who have crossed into spirit are not GONE and forever lost to us. It’s also a huge relief to be able to ask the questions we needed answered but didn’t ask before they let go of their physical life.

So here’s the thing…I am no more special, or different or talented, gifted etc. than anyone else when it comes to spirit contact. What I am is OPEN to allowing it. What I am is ACCEPTING that it’s possible. The fact is, the spiritual realm shares the same space as we do. However, we are operating on different levels of consciousness (called “realms”, “planes” or “vibrations” by some others). Nothing ever severs the connection BUT it is possible to not be AWARE of the connection. Think of it this way…we all know that there are frequencies in the air that carry sound and when we use a device such as a radio or television, we can tune in to those frequencies. We KNOW the frequencies exist even though we can’t see or feel them. They surround us everywhere! The spirit world works on the same premise. So, given that, the table…in table tipping sessions…is one of the devices we can use to “tune in”. The spirit board (Ouija) is another device. As are Tarot cards though they are more for tapping into spiritual energy than spiritual beings. There are many, many ways to contact the “dead” and many devices to help us do so. Scrying is another way (for those who don’t know what that is, it is a method of connecting with spirit using a reflective surface). Trances, seances, runes, gems, dreams, signs and symbols…the list goes on! There are so many ways because as spiritual beings, we can use ANYTHING we feel we need to use in order to connect with spirit.

Here’s the truth though…you don’t need anything to connect with loved ones on “the other side”. You just need YOU! Setting the mind (the ever vigil EGO) at rest and allowing the connection to occur is all you need to do. And YES, it’s quite HARD to do that for many of us! It helps to focus without distractions so you need to quiet things down and get relaxed, comfortable, before trying to communicate with spirit. Also, it helps to FOCUS on the person you hope to connect with. Picture the person you hope to communicate with in your mind’s eye and then wait in quiet expectation for the interaction to occur. The spirit world operates through EMOTION. There are no words in spirit and no need for them. Words are for the HUMAN experience. In spirit, you will emotionally connect and you will totally understand the connection though not a single word will pass between you! But, if it’s easier for you to converse with words…then allow the conversation to flow between you. It will strike you as “made up” and “unreal” but SOMETHING is inspiring the words, right? When you FOCUS on speaking to someone in spirit and CONCENTRATE with INTENTION on connecting, then the conversation that follows…when done while in deep, peaceful concentration…is a very REAL conversation! One way to measure it’s TRUTH is in how you FEEL. Spirit interaction should ALWAYS be LOVING and PEACEFUL! If you do not feel those two emotions, then it’s your EGO playing it’s silly, HUMAN TRICKERY on you! The personalities we become in physical life are totally capable of trickery but LOVING, SPIRIT entities are NOT. They will not induce fear or anxiety or depression or anything involving negative energy. They just won’t. Ever. Period. So if you feel any of those things…the EGO is involved or a negative entity has come to stir trouble and you should END the contact. You control this world of yours. Not them…not anyone else either. Just YOU. So if you get a negative entity…you tell it to leave and you stop the contact.

The best way to protect yourself from negative energy is by imagining yourself full of light. Just picture your body lit up like a bright, bright light bulb! By focusing on your spiritual light, you supercharge it (though really, it’s ALWAYS super charged but this way you KNOW it and FEEL it!).  Negative energy cannot enter positive energy zones. It’s totally impossible. So, when you see negative energy occurring…surround it with light. Fill and surround yourself with light and ask the loving angel entities that are all around you at all times to help you out. They are very good about lending assistance when asked!!

In the stories that I write…especially my Tess Schafer-Medium series, I try to share through story telling, how to communicate and deal with the spirit world. The good and the bad. I understand that it’s because of evil that people are afraid of the spirit world and since it is possible that we might have to deal with it, KNOW this much…it CAN be dealt with. We are not powerless against it. This is why I have my characters go up against some real negative spirit energies! I want to show, through my stories, that evil cannot cause harm if we actively resist it and use our spiritual energy to combat it. In all my books, the good is always going to win but that doesn’t mean the bad is gone or defeated. As long as there is energy (and since it can’t be destroyed, I guess that’s means forever!) there is going to be positive and negative polarities going on.

Every experience you have is a spiritual experience. Even when it seems that it’s a physical one. Just remember that! If you have someone in spirit you want to talk to…then talk to them! They will “hear” you. Every time. Always. And when someone who is now in spirit suddenly pops into your mind, guess what? They are thinking about you too!! (smile)

Okay, I better stop or I’ll go on forever! Sending out blessings to all and Peace Out!