PARADISE CHRISTIAN CHURCH : A peep Into the World Of Mediumship And Body Spirituality post by Admin

What is a Medium? Are all Mediums the Same?

medium, defined:

The intervening substance through which impressions are conveyed to the senses.

A half way between two extremes.

An agency or means of doing something.

A medium is any person who channels an energy that is more loving, wise, and Divine than themselves.

While mediums are typically associated with connecting their clients with deceased loved ones on the other side, as is my specialty, any person who works to channel the energy of Spirit Guides, Angels, or Loved Ones, is, in actuality a medium.

While we all have the ability to work with our own Spirit Guides, Angels, and Loved Ones to receive guidance, insight and wisdom – a medium has the ability to connect other people with their Spirit Guides, Angels, and Loved Ones, in addition to working with their own personal spiritual team.

not all mediums specialize in working with the deceased.

And not all mediums WANT to work with the deceased.

While to varying degrees, each medium has the ability to connect with each of the three main groups of light spirits (Angels, Guides, and Loved ones), generally, each medium has a main gift of connection. I have the gift of connecting mostly with deceased loved ones, which is supported by guidance and connections with Spirit Guides and Angels. Where other mediums may specialize in connecting with Spirit Guides, with supported visits from deceased Loved Ones and Angels. While some mediums choose to enhance one spirit link over another, for the most part, each medium is born onto this Earth with a main link, or connection to one of the 'light spirit' groups, moreso, than others.

This, is usually where their work is focused.

Generally, there are three main types of mediums:

Angelic Mediums

Spirit Guide Mediums

“Dead People” Mediums

Each have supporting guidance from each of the other realms. For example, during a reading with me, we will primarily focus on connecting you with your deceased loved ones, where we may also hear messages from your Spirit Guides and Angels, should they choose to step forward.

While not all mediums have the exact same link with all those in Spirit, the goal of each medium is the same – to be the clearest channel for Spirit, and deliver to you messages of guidance, inspiration, and assistance, born completely out of love.

Feeling a special interest or fascination with Angels?

They may be calling you be a medium for their realm.

Love ghost shows, historic old places, or stories of connecting to loved ones on the other side?

You may have a special gift with the deceased.

Consider this your invitation to begin developing your unique connection.

Whenever someone first meets me and they find out, either by introduction or by conversation, that I’m medium, the first thing that comes to their mind is:

Dead people

Which is funny, because mediumship, while I can see and hear those in Spirit, doesn’t mean all I do is talk to dead people. Sure, that’s part of it, but it’s certainly not the principle of my job or my ‘gift’. It’s like someone finding out I play guitar and assume I only know how to play one song - on every guitar I encounter.

The ability connect with Spirit is about one thing and one thing only: communication

Communication with myself and those in the Divine

Communication with myself and my Clients

Communication between my Clients and those in Spirit

And ultimately, communication between my Clients and those in the Divine

Mediumship is a recipe that simply requires a learning of the ingredients, but it’s like learning to make those fancy bakery cookies - with enough practice, a mentor or two, and a few basic cooking skills and tools that we all have, anyone can become skilled baker. Anyone can make a meal to knock the socks off whoever they serve it for.

That is, if they want to.

Mediumship is the act of channelling any Divine Light and Information down through yourself and extending out into the world around you.

It’s not magic or rocket science.

It’s not for an elite few.

Mediumship, is an act of receiving and an act of giving - at the same time.

An act of passing through yourself a gift that is made of Love, Compassion and Divine Light.

It’s a form of communicating and connecting, with yourself as the link, between the physical and the spiritual.

If you take a moment to think back into your life, I bet you can come up with at least one time when you gave something to someone else that you believe came from somewhere beyond or greater than yourself - something that took a great deal of courage or strength.

Perhaps it was a message

Perhaps it was distance healing

Perhaps it was a three card reading

Perhaps it was a spiritual smack down

since we’re all part-physical, part-spiritual, we’re technically all part- medium - the intermediate agents between two places - with the ability to step fully or partially into either space at any time.

It can be connecting to Spirit Guides or Angels.

It can be gaining information by asking the Universe for answers through tarot or oracle cards.

It can be receiving guidance from an ‘unknown source’ in your dreams or waking life.

It can be, yes, connecting to those in Spirit who are your loved ones.

can a medium communicate with the dead?

Yes, but it’s not necessary.

While this is my speciality (that and teaching other mediums), a medium is someone that can connect with ANY spirit in the Spiritual plane.

You can choose your speciality.

There are angel mediums, spirit guide mediums, plant spirit mediums, crystal spirit mediums, ancestor healing mediums, divine light mediums (energy healers) - which are all just different forms of the same thing.

Not passing messages along from loved ones and still call yourself a medium? Who cares.

That doesn’t mean you aren’t already practicing another form of mediumship in some way.

Mediumship can take more than one form - with verbal messages being just one type of conduiting down the communication.

Are you an intuitive professional providing readings for others?

You’re already a medium for Divine light and information. To take it one step further, start asking who’s showing you the information.

Are you a shamanic healer, reiki practitioner or energy professional?

You’re practicing a form of healing mediumship and can develop your abilities by lining up with your own and your client’s Guides and Ancestors.

Are you providing card readings for yourself and others, and tuning in while you ask your questions?

Great! You’re already comfortable with asking questions from Spirit. Begin finding out who you’re connecting with here.

Being a medium isn’t for an elite group of people - it’s for everyone.

We all communicate with Spirit on a daily basis - when interacting with our friends and family.

People are Spirit, too.

The first step to developing your mediumship abilities is to realize you’ve already been doing it for years - with those in Spirit - right here on Earth.

My Method of Mediumship: Understanding The Three-Way Link

Beyond the Stereotype: Mediumship is More than Talking to the Dead

I teach a unique style of mediumship that approaches Spirit communication as a three way process of connection between the Spirit, the medium and the message recipient.

Using this method, the medium learns how to hone in their own abilities, making themselves a clearer channel to receive more accurate messages, how to work with Spirit to obtain better information and how to work with the message recipient, to provide a better internal pathway to delivering that information.

With the medium as the central link, my method teaches a medium how to piece together all of the information they receive within themselves, how to receive better information from Spirit and how to ethically and appropriately deliver information to the message recipient to obtain the best, most healing and highest possible outcome for all parties involved.

My Method of Mediumship teaches:

How the Medium can use their different intuitive modalities to receive information from Spirit, how to understand that information, and how work within Oneself to piece it all together using the intuitive senses to deliver a clearer message to the recipient. It teaches how to make, you, the medium a clearer channel for both receiving and delivering.

How the Medium can work properly, ethically and professionally deliver what you receive from Spirit to the Message Recipient, and how the medium can work with the Message Recipient to deliver better, more comprehensive and clear messages that the Message Recipient can understand with a more open heart and mind.

How the Medium can work with Spirit to receive better information, clearer imagery and messages, and a more cohesive story line as to why they are coming through and what they would like to say. It teaches how to work with Spirit to help them improve their ability to deliver information to you, the Medium, so that you receive clearer images, information and symbols right from the start.

My signature method views the medium as the central, turn-key link in the Spirit communication process - with Spirit on one side, and the Message Recipient, on the other side - all three are part of the clear connection pathway. Spirits. Medium. Message Recipients.

Because of the three way connection happening in each link between the Spirit World and the Physical World, my method teaches the Medium how to work with all three parties involved to make the reception of the information and the delivery of it, as seamless, easy to understand and accurate as possible.

It teaches the medium how to use their intuitive abilities, create clarity within and develop the intensive focus needed to receive messages from Spirit. Then, it teaches the medium how to work with Spirit, to receive better messages and how to work with Message Recipient, to deliver better messages.

Most methods of mediumship teach the medium work within themselves to become a clearer channel within - without combining the these two other key elements of working with Spirits to receive better or with Clients to deliver better - neglecting two essential threads of a perfectly streamlined connection.

My method teaches these three parts, and once learned, it makes your job as the medium much easier. By working with Spirit to be a better communicator and by working with the Clients to be better receivers (and to understand their role in the communication process), the process of Spirit communication is more streamlined for the medium and involves less energetic input on their behalf. With this method, each individual is now an active, live part of the three-way connection loop, and no longer is the medium holding the weight of the interaction on their own shoulders alone.

Using this method, and receiving engagement from your two other ‘link holders’, many mediums find themselves much less exhausted, feeling energized, rather than drained, after a session.

Using this method, you can start to receive clearer information from those in Spirit, for both yourself and your clients, and you can learn to work with Spirit to obtain clearer, better and more cohesive information, enhancing both your experience and the experience of your message recipient (or client).

This method of mediumship teaches the medium to:

Receive better, more articulate and streamlined communication from Spirit

Clearly receive and understand Spirit communication receptions within Oneself

Deliver those messages clearly, ethically and professionally to Message Recipients

It honors and teaches each core link of the mediumship process and teaching the medium the essential elements of connecting. This mediumship process is translatable across all intuitive abilities and styles of communication. Once learned, the medium has all the essential tools they need to ethically, consciously and holistically honor and work with all parties involved in the connection: You, Message Recipient, and Spirit.

Becoming A Medium Later in Life... Yes It's Possible

Natural Mediumship: Is It A Thing Or Not?

at what age someone is considered a 'natural' medium

Some people have gifts, other people don't have gifts, and I wish it were that cut and try.

Mediums are born at any age.

A person’s abilities can open up at a variety of times throughout their life.

In fact, we all the capacity for it, as we all share the same heritage that stems from the same source DNA, the same star dust lineage, just some have more interest in it than others, some have an opening when others don't, some attribute becoming a medium as to simple, well, being in the right place at the right tiem.

The ability to communicate with spirit begin to manifest early in life, as in childhood, or it can begin to manifest later on in life.

There are two types of mediums that encompass all societies and peoples, and they are called Type 1 and Type 2.

Both are natural and can manifest naturally.

Think of it like epigenetic DNA, depending on a person's life, what they've been exposed to and what their hereditary lines are, certain tendencies can lie dormant in the source code until or when something triggers them to open up.

Type 1 (Childhood Onset):

This is the most common and it happens when your abilities to see, hear, and sense those in Spirit begin to manifest in childhood.

If you have memories of the boogeyman, imaginary friends, being afraid to sleep alone at night, or nightmares, it’s likely you have Type 1 natural mediumship.

Having Type 1 natural mediumship ability does not necessarily mean you develop your abilities at this time. In fact, many people with Type 1 mediumship wait until later in life, until they can wrap their head around what is happening, to develop their abilities.

This is the mediumship that is stereotypically considered the type of mediumship ability you need to have in order to be a “good” and “natural” medium. This isn't exactly the 100% truth. Which brings us to the second type.

Type 2 (Adult Onset):

This is when your abilities to see, hear and sense those in Spirit begin to manifest later in life.

Adult onset of mediumship ability generally occurs in coincidence with a Spiritual Awakening of some kind, such as:

A traumatic event

A near death experience

A loss or a betrayal, triggering an awakening

A solar return

A childbirth

Adults commonly open up their abilities naturally to those in Spirit when their Spirit begins to open up. If you have had a spiritual awakening triggering event of any kind - mediumship abilities often come hand in hand with this.

In either Type 1 or Type 2, you are dealing with someone who has natural mediumship ability.

They simply develop and present themselves in different forms, at different times, at different reasons. It really would all depend on your life chart.

There are many types of natural mediums.

Can anyone *really* be a medium?

Yes.

Really, anyone could be a medium.

Mediumship is nothing more than practicing your abilities to have clear Spirit-to-Spirit communication. When you connect with Spirit to bring through messages from the Other Side, you are listening, with your whole body, with all of your senses, with your entire being, to hear the true, genuine message of another being.

How often do we actually do that in real, human life?

How often, do we listen, with our entire Spirit, to the emotional, thoughtful and energetic message from other soul?

If you’ve ever truly listened to a soul mate, you’ve done this. If you’ve ever predicted the needs of another, and then helped them before they knew they needed it, you’ve done this. If you’ve ever felt a connection between an animal and yourself, you’ve done this. If you’ve ever sat quiet in a conversation, and let the entire message engulf you, you’ve done this.

Shared the contents of your heart with someone? You’ve done this.

Spoke your mind, told the truth and didn’t care who listened? You’ve done this.

Told someone something that you’ve never told anyone before? You’ve done this.

Mediumship begins with clear communication in the physical world, before it can ever be translated into the Spirit world.

While we can all communicate with Spirit, because we ARE Spirit (just with a physical body layered on top, at this time), it takes time to learn the truest, most genuine form of communication for yourself, and begin practicing it daily - for yourself and others. This is called your spiritual communication strength (otherwise known as an intuitive ability).

When you fully listen to another, you are intuiting, you are sensing, you are feeling, you are knowing, you are seeing and you are connecting with another Spirit. To have communication with another Spirit, you aren’t just speaking with your physical mouth and listening with your physical ears - you’re using your Spiritual strengths, yourself, as a tool. The development of your energetic self as an instrument is what improves your clarity as a medium, once you get there. As does practice.

But overall, what prevents most people from ‘getting there’ isn’t a lack of natural ability, it’s the presence of a barrier.

And there are barriers to clear communication - both listening and speaking - all over the place. There are things that prevent us from fully stepping into a genuine union (a connection) with another and each person is affected differently.

The 3 Barriers Preventing You (Or Anyone) From Being A Medium

The first and biggest barrier from preventing everyone from being a medium, is that their physical self (ego) may be refusing to believe that it’s possible to even communicate with Spirit. If someone offers you an apple pie at a restaurant and you refuse to eat it, how can you ever know what it tastes like to realize it’s actually pretty good?

You can’t.

If someone suggests you play guitar and you adamantly refuse to admit guitars exist - you’ll never play a guitar - not even if your soul-self has a natural talent for it that’s out of this world. There’s countless numbers of reasons why mediumship is a type of apple pie that a person doesn’t want to taste - such as cultural rules, socially acceptable beliefs, location of their soul’s journey and possible life lessons - and it’s not important to identify them. Unless of course, you want to develop your own mediumship abilities and want to know what’s holding you back.

The next most common barrier from preventing everyone from being a medium is doubt. This includes the doubt that it’s even possible, the doubt and level of confidence that you have in yourself for being able to do it, and the doubt that what you receive is real and truthful.

In fact, many mediums undermine the truth of their own messages out of doubt that it’s real. When you are too busy doubting something, you have no time to accept it and welcome it in. When you doubt, you are essentially rejecting and pushing away the very thing that has been presented to you.

Developing a trust in Spirit and in yourself that you are capable of doing anything you want - including spiritually communicating with another in Spirit - takes time. As you begin to open up, the mediumship abilities generally, start to spill out and begin to emerge from within you. It’s like the cracking of the shell - once you take a mallet to thin ice, the hard exterior (the boundary) cracks open and the beautiful sea underneath is revealed.

While anyone can truly crack open the shell of their physical world understanding and begin to connect courageously, vulnerably and truthfully with others, both in Spirit in spiritual body and those in Spirit in physical body, many still feel fear and are scared of it.

If you have fear of the Spirit World, you may as well put your hands over your eyes, over your ears and over your mouth. Fear of what will happen if you see something scary, what will happen if you hear something, how those in Spirit will impact your life or any other fear related to Spirit, you push out and back the Spirit World, even if they are close by.

Being nervous that something bad will happen, that all Spirits are evil, or you are going to be socially isolated from your friends and family should you open up, will prevent anyone from opening up their abilities - even if they have them. In fact, every single day, I receive an email from at least one person who thinks they have abilities, but are too scared and worried . . . and maybe they better not.

Or perhaps you see something, such as a shadow, and immediately panic and freeze in terror, hoping to never see something like that again. And then, you don’t. And, you likely won’t from then on out.

people see, hear and feel only what they allow themselves to see, hear and feel.

Fearing the Spirit World for what it might mean for you in the spiritual world (seeing something bad) or in the physical world (social acceptance), can cause you to shut down your abilities, even if you don’t mean to.

The majority of people who wish to open their abilities to connect with Spirit, have to go through a process of opening to trust and releasing their fears in order to fully connect. This is a process that takes time and dedication and while many people devote that time of practice, many others, don’t bother - for a variety of reasons.

And before you can set forth in opening to trust and releasing any fear, you first, have to believe it’s possible.

To become a medium, the trinity of the three elements of belief, trust and acceptance must be present and to do that, you have to release the opposite from yourself.

As you work on clearing out disbelief, doubt and fear, you work on clearing your channel and your ability to be a medium.

35 Signs You Might Be a Medium

While we all have the ability to communicate with those in Spirit, the calling to become a medium often grows stronger within some than in others.

If you have found this article, it’s likely that your calling to become a medium is starting to illuminate itself to you and it’s up to you how you use it.

How do you know if you are a psychic medium?

There are many signs that you could be a psychic medium.

Read through the list below and see how many of the possible signs resonate with you.

You do not have to check all of the signs to be ‘verified’ a medium, as many of the signs are related to a certain type of medium (yes, there are types!) versus another type of medium.

Can you relate with at least 10 of the items on this list? If you can, it’s time to consider that you have the potential to become an extremely gifted medium!

35 Of The Most Common Signs You’re A Medium

You’ve been having vivid dreams

You often wake up and feel like someone is in the room with you

Things have been moved, misplaced or mysteriously lost in your home

When walking home alone, you often feel like someone is following you

You hear footsteps when you are by yourself, such as in your home alone or when walking alone

You talk to yourself inside your mind and work out ideas inside your head quite frequently

You’ve been developing a nervous twitch, such as of the eye, the knee, the neck or the hand

You have a hard time falling and staying asleep, recently been having bouts of insomnia

You hear people calling your name when no one around you has actually called your name

A person near you has died and you’ve started to think you sense their presence

When you are in a place where there might be ghosts, you feel a chill, a tingle or your chest begins to hurt

When you are in a place where there may be spirits, you often think you can see them in your mind’s eye

You have seen shadows or those in Spirit just for a flash out of the corner of your eye

You have seen flashes, balls or orbs of light in person or in photographs

You have been known to predict things or know things are going to happen well before they actually do

You’ve had a fascination with Spirits since childhood, reading ghost hunting books, watching shows and learning all about it

You remember having interacted with and seen those in Spirit as a child

You can pick up on the emotions or energy (vibe) of a room before anyone else

You can see vivid imagery or colors when you close your eyes

You’ve seen or smelled smoke when no one physical is smoking and there is no mist anywhere else

You have heard a television, a radio or distant talking when no electronic devices were on or present

You’ve heard whispering around you or on a baby monitor

You’ve heard strange noises around the house such as banging, knocking and creeking

You’ve hear buzzing or ringing sounds with no explanation and you often hear things that other can’t, such as hums in buildings, vehicles or other structures

You’ve been noticing repeating numbers and synchronistic signs more often

You have anxiety or have recently been noticing yourself feeling anxious or hyper for no reason at all

You feel tingly or buzzing sensations around the top of your head

You have been experiencing large fluctuations in your emotional mood or how you physically feel

You have felt people walk in behind you only to turn around and see that you were still alone

You’ve experienced the sensation of being touched or brushed with no explanation

You or someone you’re related to, such as a child, has pointed out spirits or paranormal experiences to you (mediumship often is inherited through families)

You’ve had paranormal experiences that you can’t explain

Electronics, appliances, lights, TVs . . .tend to ‘‘go out’ around you

You have a habit of delivering really profound messages to others, then after the words leave your mouth, you have no idea where or how the information came from you (accidental channeling)

You’ve taken prescription pills, drugs, or alcohol to a

You’ve taken prescription pills, drugs, or alcohol to avoid any of the above feelings or sensations

Mediumship is an ability that many people have - and you’re not crazy for thinking it’s possible you have this ability, too. It can come in at any stage in your life from childhood to adulthood and developing your abilities is a wonderful, transformational journey of releasing fear, overcoming your barriers and stepping into your beautiful abilities.

It starts here ~

To begin opening your gifts, there are over 500 articles available for you right here on the blog to begin exploring your abilities and what it may mean for you.

Simply begin by looking at the categories section on the blog sidebar and selecting the topic that connects most with you now.

Welcome to the community,

Top 10 Benefits of Being a Medium

There are good things about being a medium.

And when I was just starting out on my journey of accepting my abilities, you would’ve never heard me say this. I originally thought being a medium was akin to being stricken with a terrible curse. But, I’ve since had time to think about it, and I've had a change of heart.

Mediumship is a gift, not a curse. But it’s only you who can decide to see it that way.

Are you questioning why anybody could want to be a medium at all?

Or simply searching for validation that you’ve chosen the right life path for you?

Deciding if pursuing your sensitive abilities is the right thing to you?

Opening up and accepting my own abilities to see and hear those in Spirit, which is something I’ve wrestled with for years, was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my life. And I wanted to take a moment and share with you why I think so.

Top 10 Benefits Of Being A Medium

1. you have an on-call support team (always)

When you open up your ability to communicate with Spirit, while at first it may be frightening or exhilarating, eventually the initial rollercoaster ride calms down and you find yourself surrounded by those in Spirit who don’t want to scare you, instead they actually want to be your friends.

As a professional medium these days, I find myself often giving problem solving answers, guidance and wisdom directly to my clients from their Loved Ones, Spirit Guides and Angels, who, generally have lots of amazingly heart-felt, quality information.

And, because I always have access to me, I also always have access to the realm of Spirit. This means I can receive Divine Guidance and support whenever I feel I need it. I can ask my own Guides, Angels and Loved Ones questions to receive specific answers and immediate solutions to help me out with whatever predicament I’m facing.

If you develop your abilities to work with Spirit in mediumship, this is open to you, too. It’s kind of like having friends always available to you on-call, a group of therapists available to you right away to cohesively and comprehensively explain everything. You are literally never alone - even if you are in the physical world - you aren’t alone in the Spiritual world. You always have friends in Spirit, and because they lack a physical body, they also lack all the associated physical world limitations like time, distance and travel costs of connecting. When you’re a medium, you always have someone to talk to and always have access to connect, if you feel up to it.

2. you get to witness the power of love (all the time)

Those in Spirit, counter to what you might see on popular culture television shows, are mostly a loving, compassionate bunch of individuals who are looking out for you and always want the best for you. Of course, there’s a shadow side to the Spirit world, just as there is a shadow side in Earth, but you don’t have to work with those in the Darker realms, if you just turn away from it. You can choose who you work with and associate yourself with in Spirit in the Light, just as you can on Earth. Because of this, you can have access to connecting with loving, supportive Spirits all the time - this is the preference of pretty much all spirit communicators - all Light Spirits, all the time. And you can set it up this way, too.

As a medium, a central link, you become a conduit of transmission for a husband’s love to his wife, a mother’s love to her daughter, and a close friend’s love to her soulmate, on the Other Side. By being the conduit, the golden connecting link of Spirit, the love feelings and love energy that connect people across the realms, comes right through your body.

And, it’s pretty amazing. As a medium, not only do you get to feel your own Loved Ones, Guides and Angels love for you, but you get feel and transmit the love, compassion and strength of connection between two Spirits communicating through you across the realms. You get to deliver loving words and messages, but also, emotion, thoughts right through your state of being. So, you literally feel the love that people have for each other. It’s like being at the most beautiful, wedding ever, you want to cry, you want to hug someone, and you feel the love tingles all over your body. Feeling this sort of eternal unconditional love - on a near daily basis - changes your perspective on people, relationships and the nature of being a human.

Most of the time, after you get out of a mediumship session, you feel like you’re floating on an exhilarating whoosh of a love cloud, which can be hard to come down from. It’s the adrenaline, flood of positive emotions and feelings of meeting a soul mate, each time you connect with Spirit, and genuinely link your soul with the soul of another.

Feeling this level of eternal love on a daily basis, changes your entire life from how you interact with others to how you see yourself.

Which brings me to the next point . . .

3. your spiritual transformation sky rockets (you heal)

When those in Spirit come through you to deliver messages to others, they often deliver potent messages for you, too. Many times, hidden within a reading for another person is a secret, powerful message for you, too. Your Guides and Angels are sneaky like that and they’ll do what they can to enhance your ability to connect with Spirit, and often, that means, illuminate areas you need to examine for your own self healing, too.

Through working with Spirit, soulful realizations occur. It’s impossible for this not to happen, as talking to the deceased can change anyone. And usually, it changes you for the better. We learn more about love, about forgiveness and about what common themes hold you back in life, and how to release them. Why? Because dead people talk readily about these things. They talk about what they wished they had done, and what they hadn’t done and regret, and what they could do, if they could take it all back. And you, as the medium, are listening to all of this as you transmit the message about how to live well from a grandfather to grandson.

For this reason, mediums often have to take some time process their own readings. There’s a lot of life wisdom that comes through in any given session, that, you find yourself healing, understanding and releasing some of the things you’ve needed to release, too. Going into the deep emotions, thoughts and feelings which arise in any relationship between two people, asks you to look more deeply at your own relationships, thoughts and feelings - and question whwhether or not you’d like to keep them.

As a medium, you are given the opportunity to change, heal and explore areas of your life, which you may have never looked at otherwise.

4. you release your fears of death (pretty fast)

Some days, I spend my days talking to more dead people on a intimate level than I do living people, which is pretty weird if you think about it, but it’s the nature of the work. And, the more you communicate with those in Spirit, the more you realize, just how alive, active and aware they are of life still on earth, even after death. They share with you information about how they stay involved in their own families and friends lives after their own passing and things that they do to help out their Loved Ones on Earth, now as a Spirit.

Your definition of death changes, as those in Spirit are essentially still alive, just without a dense physical body.

They are funny, crass, bold and pretty bossy and straightforward sometimes, and it becomes really hard, not to begin to see those in Spirit like regular living people. And as soon as you do that, you become way less scared of death because you realize it’s not really as real as you thought. It’s an eye opening experience.

5. you can connect with your own deceased loved ones (whenever you feel like)

The importance of this one varies from medium to medium, but it’s pretty important to me, having Loved Ones on the Other Side, to be able connect with them. . .without the use of another medium. As a medium, all you need is you to reunite with your Loved Ones. Mega bonus.

6. you can understand your soul purpose on a deeper level

Through connecting with those from the Divine Light, you can access guidance, insight and knowledge that is beyond and sometimes, a little wiser, than yourself. While it’s impossible to be able to know everything, when you communicate with those in Spirit, you can ask any question you want and anyone who wishes to communicate through you, can also ask any question they want.

You can ask about your soul purpose, lessons in your journey and the greater connectedness of all things. Or, you can simply sit back and through your everyday connections with other Spirits (both those on Earth and those in Spirit), these meaningful ah-ha moments happen.

Plus, by the very nature of work as a medium, you’re intricately connected to the Life/Death/Life cycle, and this tie, from you to Life and you to Death, naturally, develops a greater sense of connection and unitedness between your Soul and all other souls. . . anytime you act as a conduit of communication. If you feel alone and isolated, become a medium, and you’ll realize how silly that was (I did).

7. you can manifest things (quickly)

As a spiritual communicator, you can work together with your Spirit Guides and Angels in a partnership and through teamwork, you with your Spiritual Support team can manifest things much more quickly in your life. With access to guidance from Spirit, you can stay on better track with your soul purpose and in alignment with who you are as a being, and you can also task things out to your Guides and Angels to assist you in accomplishing your goals. You can do double-duty the work to get you to the place you want to be, when you work together with Spirit.

You can make a to-do list for yourself and one for Spirit, each day, and the ‘work’ that needs to be done, can be doubled and thus, you can transform your own life and any situation, at much faster rate and with more physical and spiritual progress. With more awareness of the world of energy, emotion, thought, consciousness and Spirit, you’ll have more awareness of your own Spirit. . . and what is holding you back from manifesting your life to the fullest potential. Once you are aware of your own barriers and blocks, you can more easily work through them, in partnership, with your Spirit Guides and Angels.

8. you get to debunk some myths

By communicating with Spirit, you can begin to access the truth, the meaning and the depth in your life, by aligning with the highest truths of all - greater connectedness and love. Mediums, can be some of the most loving, honest and down to earth people that I know and many of us, are breaking stereotypes by what it means to be one.

I don’t ‘look’ like a medium. Do you?

Just by being you and living your life in full glory without fear of what others may think, you’re redefining what it is to be a medium and with your very nature, you’re debunking all types of myths of what a medium may or may not be.

I love my gypsy skirts and all, but I definitely don’t cast spells or look into any kind of crystal ball. I get to break stereotypes everyday of what people think it is to be Amanda (a medium).

9. you can help others

Everything we described above, you can do for other people. You can connect your friends, family and others with their Loved Ones on the Other Side and their Guides and Angels for healing messages and guidance, and most importantly, release. Mediumship is an opportunity to assist others in their healing, transformation and self discovery journey. Connecting with someone with another that they love on the other side facilitates healing and growth, and you witness the changes that happen within others, through connecting with Spirit, first hand.

10. you are a part of many sacred moments

Some of the most emotional, transformation and powerful moments in my life have come through connecting with Spirit. And other people trust you to be a central part of their most sacred moments, with their loved ones in Spirit. It’s a gift, an honor and a great responsibility. I feel blessed each time another person, selects me, as the medium, the translator they wish to use for reuniting with a Loved One.

Each day I wake up, I remind myself that I get to be a conduit of love, between myself and another. And that is the best part of it all.

If you’re thinking about opening up your abilities of mediumship, these are just a few of the many benefits of being a medium. There are hundreds more, which come in moments throughout each day, week and year.

I look forward to connecting with you and Spirit soon ~

7. you can manifest things (quickly)

8. you get to debunk some myths

I don’t ‘look’ like a medium. Do you?

I love my gypsy skirts and all, but I definitely don’t cast spells or look into any kind of crystal ball. I get to break stereotypes everyday of what people think it is to be Amanda (a medium).

9. you can help others

10. you are a part of many sacred moments

Each day I wake up, I remind myself that I get to be a conduit of love, between myself and another. And that is the best part of it all.

I look forward to connecting with you and Spirit soon ~

7. you can manifest things (quickly)

8. you get to debunk some myths

I don’t ‘look’ like a medium. Do you?

I love my gypsy skirts and all, but I definitely don’t cast spells or look into any kind of crystal ball. I get to break stereotypes everyday of what people think it is to be Amanda (a medium).

9. you can help others

10. you are a part of many sacred moments

Each day I wake up, I remind myself that I get to be a conduit of love, between myself and another. And that is the best part of it all.

I look forward to connecting with you and Spirit soon ~

The 7 Basic Steps For Connecting With The Spirit World

Anyone with an open heart and a willing soul, can sit with Spirit and begin to communicate.

Spirits communicate through the psychic senses - and if you're a highly sensitive person (yes, meaning, you're emotional and you're a deep feeler) - it's likely you have at least a few of them.

By following the below steps, you'll open your connection to the Spirit World in a safe and easy way.

step 1. relax and ground.

The best and most effective conversations are had when you are centered in your seat of self.

step 2. safety.

Before communicating with a Spirit, make sure that you’ve fully defined your boundaries of who you will communicate with and when. This is to make sure you aren’t potentially connecting with anything you don’t want to be connecting with. Clear your energy.

step 3. identify the spirit.

In order to communicate effectively with someone, you have to know first know who that someone is. There are steps you can take to find out who the spirit is - down to a name and a cause of death. My eBook, the Spirit Identification Key - is the solution.

step 4. ask questions.

Spirits can hear you when you speak internally or externally, but they won't always speak unless spoken to first. If you want them to talk to you and they haven't already started, ask them questions. You can ask them identifying questions, questions about their message, or any question at all to help facilitate the conversation.

step 5. “listen’ for their response.

Spirits will reply to your questions through your intuitive senses.

Depending on what your strongest intuitive senses are, and what this particular Spirit’s preferred communication method is, this will determine how they communicate with you through. Sound, visions, sensations, etc.

step 6. write it down.

When you are communicating, have a notepad ready or friend with a willing ear, so that you can record the messages.

According to James Van Praagh

fromMost mediums hear sentences very fast because they’re {Spirits are} at a high vibration frequency, like they'll say "Howareyoudoingtoday?" and you'll only hear "How" and today." A medium may only be able to hear two or three pieces.

In my own readings, I have found spirits talk really fast, so I talk really fast, and sometimes you have to ask them to repeat, to catch it all.

step 7. thank the spirit for their message.

After you are done asking questions or complete receiving, thank your Spirit friend for sharing their messages with you. They don't come to everyone and they only choose certain people to deliver their messages to so it is an honor to even be conversing with them in the first place.

If a Spirit has chosen you to communicate with, chances are, others will soon begin to come forward.

8 Steps to Becoming a Professional Medium

There are many rivers that lead to the same ocean.

And there is no one path to mediumship or to becoming a professional medium.

It can happen after several years of hard, focused study, or it can come after a spontaneous spiritual experience in your bedroom, followed by a spiritual awakening.

Learning mediumship is very similar to learning a new language.

Some say, it is a re-learning of the original language of all souls - the Language of Spirit. And while you may already be proficient in both Spanish and English, it does take training to become a proficient professional translator.

Becoming a professional medium is becoming a translator for the Spirit world. They’re so similar, in fact, that when people ask me what my profession is on an airplane - I often tell them that's what I do.

8 Steps To Professional Mediumship

1. learn about mediumship in all aspects

To fully embrace your abilities to connect with Spirit, begin to learn about the practice of mediumship by checking out my reading list here.

Learn about the history, learn about the paths and experiences of other mediums and learn about how mediumship is actually done and performed. This may mean that you eventually take a mediumship class, not simply to improve your abilities, but to nail down the professional process of translating.

2. learn about your intuitive abilities

Next, begin to identify your strongest spiritual communicator strengths.

These are your intuitive abilities and we all have them.

Generally, we each have one intuitive ability that is strongest and Spirit will often begin to communicate with us through this ability. For example, if you are clairsentient, you’ll start to sense the presence of those in Spirit - including their thoughts, emotions and messages. When you begin connecting with your strongest sense feet forward, you’ll get the best results. And then from there, you can begin to practice opening up and expanding into your other intuitive abilities.

3. book an appointment with an actual medium

In mediumship, you really do have to see how it’s done - and not just on television. If you plan to make this into your profession, see a professional and observe how they ‘do it’.

When you develop your own practice, you’ll be able to draw on this (or these) appointments to frame your own work. If you do see a medium and no special mention is made of your intuitive abilities, that’s no indication of whether or not you have them - 1,000 things could be covered in a single reading!

4. decide which type of mediumship you're called to do

There’s many different kinds of mediumship.

There’s Angelic Mediumship, Spirit Guide Mediumship, Channeling, Healing Mediumship and Physical Mediumship. Learn about these and figure out which most resonates with you. You don’t have to be a dead person medium to be a ‘real medium’, all you have to do is bring through healing and loving messages from the Divine.

5. decide through which modality you will use to connect

On top of that, there are different modalities through which Spiritual Communication is the weaving, linking thread.

There’s Reiki, Tarot Card, Oracle Cards, Shamanism, Energy Healing, Distance Readings, Live Readings, Stage Readings, Channelled Writings, Music Inspired by Spirit, Physical Art such as Painting and even Teaching and Coaching (in many forms). Mediums can be mediums in so many settings and with so many tools aside from the message channeling in the reading room.

6. learn how to give readings

There’s definitely a structure on the best process of how to deliver a message from the Other Side.

Even if you've got born talent, someone's got to teach you the plays. By learning the steps to giving a reading (I teach those in my How-To Guide: Give Readings You Can Sell), you'll not only to give the best reading possible, but you'll get the clearest and most easy to understand messages possible for those you are translating for.

Many mediums, including myself, teach the reading structure and best practices, as do many other intuitive practitioners, for their own fields.

7. practice, practice, practice

Being a professional means having dedication, care and a commitment to ever growing improvement.

When I worked as a teacher, a researcher and even an environmentalist, we had continuing education hours that we needed to complete - to show commitment to our own growth and path. Being a professional isn’t just about turning on the open sign and walking away from the door. It’s about growing, learning and being the best that you can be in the most committed way possible. Practice meditating, practice connecting, practice grounding, practice clearing and practice learning new modalities.

The more you practice, the better you’ll become and the more fully and completely you can give to others.

8. exchange money for your services

The minute you start asking for people to exchange value for your services, you’re starting a business. Many mediums charge for their services, because it takes time, practice, knowledge and effort to deliver a quality product. Mediumship is a valued service that offers healing, comfort and connection and while a gift that you offer to the world, does take a considerable about of energy, time and investment on your part to offer that gift. So, you can ask for value in exchange for that and not feel ashamed of it.

To learn more about how to market your business and your abilities, check out this eCourse.

Once you honed your abilities to the point where you can charge for your services, you’re a real professional.

12 Signs Your Loved Ones Are Visiting You

1. pennies from heaven

Your deceased Loved Ones can manipulate the energy of the environment. They can get people to ‘accidentally’ drop small things in your presence and then nudge you to look down at the right moment. The most common physical sign from your loved one is a penny - it’s lightweight enough to move and shiny enough for you to see.

2. cardinals and brightly colored birds

Your Loved Ones can work with those in the animal world to send you a sign of their presence by getting a cardinal, a blue jay or a large hawk to act abnormally in your presence for just long enough to get your attention.

3. smelling their cooking

Your Loved Ones can use the loose electrons and atoms available in the air to create momentary combinations that smell just like something they were known for doing, having or smelling like. Cookies, cakes and breads wafting through the air and no one is cooking? It’s grandma!

4. smelling their perfume

Your Loved Ones can also momentarily shift the molecules with the air of your space to mimic the scent of cigarettes, cigars, mothballs, perfume or flowers - anything they were known for! If you smell something very out of character for your space, it’s likely a Loved One from the other side!

5. feeling a presence next to you

Your Loved Ones, though they have lost their physical body, they have not lost their Spiritual Body. While not always physically visible, the Spiritual Body is palpable by most people. Sensing someone in the room without another physical human present? It’s more than likely a Spirit person.

6. having a visitation dream

Your Loved Ones can visit you through your dreams. How can you tell when a dream is really from a Loved One? Learn the difference between a regular and a visitation dream here.

7. hearing their voice

Many people hear the voices of their Loved Ones inside their own minds after their passing. This is not your imagination or wishful thinking. It’s called internal clairaudience and it’s how a medium hears the deceased. Hearing your Loved One? You are not making it up.

8. warm goosebumps and tingles

The sensation of the presence of a Spirit who has crossed often produces warm, tingly feelings on the outside or on the inside of the body. If you have been feeling lots of tingles or goosebumps (especially while reading this article), your Loved One is visiting!

9. unexpected favors

Your Loved Ones still want to do nice things for you, but being without a physical body, their options for physical gifts are often limited. This is why your Loved Ones are often behind getting you special, unexpected discounts in stores, helping you meet the right people for your career and love life, and keeping you out of dangerous accidents!

10. flashes of light

Those in Spirit don’t always know or have the energy to fully manifest as an apparition. Living in the realm of the Divine Light (Heaven), your Loved Ones can manifest as flashes, orbs or balls of light, usually seen out of the corner of your right eye. Seeing flashes? This could be a Loved One!

11. orbs in photographs

Same concept as above. Those in Spirit form can manifest as a small ball of light in photographs, as well as in walking, waking regular life. Learn more about Orbs here.

12. misplacing and finding items

Have you been losing things only to find them in the same place you remember putting them later on? Your Loved Ones can move items, either to play a cute joke on you or to get your attention. It’s never malicious and don’t worry, they’ll actually help you find lost items you’ve been looking for, too!

These are the 12 most common signs you are being visited by your Loved Ones!

Visitation Dreams: How You Know For Sure

One of the most common signs that your deceased loved ones, Spirit Guides, or Angels are trying to connect with you is through visitation in a dream.

After your loved one crosses, they still maintain their form, personality, and identity - only without a physical body.

Where the only difference between yourself and your loved ones is the world that we both operate in - ourselves, in the physical plane, and your loved ones in the spiritual plane.

To transcend and cross between these planes, often referred to as ‘over or through the veil’, takes time, energy, and effort.

Thankfully, our loved ones now in Spirit are living in a world without the limitation of time, and because of this, they are free to visit whenever they want.

For many of your loved ones in Spirit, they would love nothing more than to connect with you, and make you aware of their continued presence, even after death. Many, go to great lengths to get your attention, including making noise, producing physical touch, sending you signs and symbols, such as cardinals and feathers. However, in our busy world, this is often still not enough.

When was the last time, you stopped to notice a feather in your path?

Or, really, I mean *really* listened to the lyrics of the song on a radio?

With children, and errands, and running late, and having to shovel the snow and call the plumber about the pipe in your basement - it’s nearly impossible to notice the small symbols that come our way, and they can be very, very easy to miss.

Even for the most aware person, the one who notices every butterfly - when a Spirit Person chooses to visit or make themselves known - it can often be on our craziest days - because that's when we need the support the most.

And that’s okay.

If you don’t notice it all, that doesn’t mean your loved ones are going to stop visiting, it simply might mean they may take it up a notch or try out another technique.

It's really no fun at all to visit someone if they don't even know you're visiting them, is it? So they want you to know. And -

welcome, the visitation dream.

No matter how busy you are, everyone sleeps at some point.

Even if it’s just four hours some nights, you have to sleep.

If you sleep, at some point, you’re going to dream.

And, in our dreams, when we are most aware of our inner landscape, we happen to also be

least resistant to messages from Spirit People.

If you feel a small brush on your shoulder when you are awake, rather than a gentle touch from your mother, you might conclude, it was just your sweater that felt weird for a second. Spirit sign = dismissed.

Or if you hear a message that you need to call a friend immediately, and decide not to because you’re cooking dinner, you may have also just dismissed an urge of Spirit. Often, their nudges come from within, using our energy, to connect with us.

Speaking can be difficult without a voice box of your own, after all.

In a dream, though, we often stay asleep for the whole message. And our concious minds aren't active to actively sweep it away immediately - so in some more stubborn cases, messages have more time to simmer and make an impact when they happen in dream state.

We can see, feel, and listen to our loved ones - without distraction or immediate dismissal in the dream. The space without an opportunity for dismissal, for each one of us, is in unconscious sleep.

Even in meditation, we may and sometimes do, stop to question the reality of what we're perceiving from Spirit - even experienced professionals.

So if you’ve ever dreamed of a loved one, you may be wondering, okay, I get that they can visit me in my dreams but how?

And how do I know it wasn’t just a regular dream with some symbolism and pain energy that I’ve repressed? Something subconscious, you know?

I get it. I’ve dreamt of loved ones that were not visitation dreams. Where my loved ones were in the dream, with some other symbolism, but definitely not a visitation. And then, I’ve had dreams where I’m nearly positive it WAS a message from Spirit.

First, it’s important to know that your deceased loved one, in Spirit, now operates entirely on the energy of Divine Light. In Heaven. The Realm of Spirit. The Great Oneness. In that space. This space, is light, buoyant, and glowing with energy. This energy is what they use to connect with you on many levels. As your loved ones are no longer in physical body, they must use purely energy to connect with you.

This can be the energy of touch and sensation, the energy of thought and ideas, the energy of emotions, the energy of images. Basically sending energy from themselves to you.

This concept makes sense, if you’ve ever watched television prior to bed, and then had a completely crazy dream, made up of all the things you watched, heard, and felt on the television shows you watched before bed.

The energy of the television, that was projected into your bedroom and onto your body and mind, was absorbed by you, and manifesting as thought energy in your dreams.

This same concept also makes sense, if you’ve ever been loved by another person. You not only hear that they love you when they say it, but you feel and sense the energy of it. They are sending their love energy, to you. In the form of emotions and thoughts.

Thus, your loved ones CAN visit you in dreams, by sending you their energy as emotions, thoughts, images and sensations, and manifesting in your dreams. It’s like Charlie in the Chocolate factory, when he goes into a TV and comes out somewhere else - it’s still him, with his energy particles arranged so you can see and sense him.

Visitation Dream Vs. Regular Dream

visitation dreams make you feel good and comforted

In my article on How to Sense Spirits, we discuss that the energy of your loved ones often feels like a comforting blanket, a warm tea, like a coating of love on a winter’s day. The reason for this is that they operate now in the light of Divine love, and as so, this is what they send you.

All spirit communication is out of love, so if you are visited by a loved one, this means they love you. Thus, with visitation dreams, when you wake up, you often feel an extreme amount of comfort and love, where some people will sense this utter awareness of it being a hyper-real dream and that's because it is.

Many who have experienced visitation dreams express an amount of peace upon waking, not fear.

In regular dreams, we often wake up confused and curious by the meaning, but not intensely comforted. In visitation dreams, confusion and doubt may come later, but then it has usually been placed on you externally by someone else’s doubt of your experience.

visitation dreams involve divine light

As your loved ones have transitioned into the Light, they now exist primarily in this energy, and while they can often come back to visit us on the physical plane, they are still using the Light energy to maintain their spiritual existence. Thus, when you have a visitation dream, usually a glow or a light surrounds this person, but it’s not always extremely. I sometimes equate it to as subtle as a soft glow on their appearance, such as in a ‘glamour shot’ to as intense as being surrounded as though by the bright beam of an Angelic form.

The glow or level of light may vary from soft focus to sunburst, but it’s there.

In a regular dream, your loved one is often just one of the many characters in the scene of your dream, not particularly more or less distinct than any other character in your dream.

visitation dreams often include a direct address

(or one on one attention, directed right at you)

In some way, a visitation dream near always includes a direct address from your loved one - where they turn to face you directly, sit next to you or touch you directly, smile at you directly, or have a message of words for you, directly. It does not necessarily mean a serious message, though your loved ones can and do deliver more serious topics from time to time. The direct address may simply include a warm smile, which, in itself, is the entire message. Think of the message a warm smile conveys. Does it need to be more than this?

In regular dreams, a direct address by your loved ones *can* be present, but this is abnormal.

Think about all of times in your dreams where you have been directly approached by someone or directly involved, many times, in our dreams, we are observers of scenes - not players in them.

Thus, a ‘direct address’ by any character to you, is far less common, and even less common, as a loved one. If you receive a direct address by a loved one, evaluate the other factors. Did they appear in a soft focus-eque glow? Did I feel good and cozy upon waking?

These are the main three factors that stand out to make a regular dream different from a visitation one. And, your loved ones aren’t the only ones to use this modality - ANY spirit can utilize this message, as long as you allow it. Angels, Guides, and even deceased ones you may have not met before.

The Gift of Presence: How to Sense a Deceased Loved One When They Visit

One of the most common methods of visitation by your deceased loved ones is actually one of the most difficult to interpret and notice - sensing their presence in a physical visit.

Without a physical body and now residing primarily in Spiritual form, your loved ones aren’t restricted by financial resources, train or plane schedules or physical distance. It doesn’t matter what time it is, because in Spiritual world, time is continuous and doesn’t exist. Your loved ones can visit you for important events, in dreams and just simply to stop by over morning coffee. And they delight in doing so!

In readings, your loved ones often proclaim that having the liberty of visiting more often is one of their favorite parts of being in Spirit now. In fact, spiritual visitations are so regular and happen so frequently, I’ve written about the 4 most common times and occasions that your loved ones stop by before. Even if you never notice at all, they’ll visit you and their favorite grand-children without being noticed or a big to-do about it - they don’t mind popping by and being incognito.

But you know what would be nicer? If you actually knew when they were around and stopping by!

With this knowledge, you may be able to at least say hello, thank them for coming and enjoy the fact that they are still making the effort to go to all the soccer games. Or your wedding. Or that big presentation you had last week. They were there, smiling in the back of the room by the coffee and danish table. Most certainly.

If you had a free plane ticket to anywhere and endless amounts of time, would you miss anything at all?

Me neither.

While your loved ones can certainly send you signs and signals like coins, birds and feathers - it’s so much easier and more enjoyable to visit you for real. It’s like sending a card to your daughter every year for her birthday. Yea, it’s nice, but wouldn’t it be better if you could just be with each other? It sure would. Nothing, in my opinion, is better than a visit from a loved one. And while I know that they’ve been visiting you all along, it’s about time you were able to pick up their presence, too.

In this post, we’re going to learn how you can sense the presence of your loved ones easily and without playing a guessing game. No longer will you simply assume your mother was there - you’ll know.

Let’s get started!

4 Steps To Learning To Sense Your Loved Ones In Spirit

1. get relaxed.

Go for a walk. Lay down in bed and take some deep breaths. Do some exercise. Settle in for a meditation. Whatever it is that you do to take a load off, loosen up your muscles, relax your Spirit and quiet your mind - do that.

Get as relaxed and cozy as you possibly can without being at risk for falling asleep. And if you do, you really needed to relax. You can always start this exercise another time. There are no time constraints - your loved ones will wait patiently for you to notice them for as long as necessary.

2. take a trip down memory lane.

Let’s get started!

4 Steps To Learning To Sense Your Loved Ones In Spirit

1. get relaxed.

2. take a trip down memory lane.

Once you are relaxed, think of the loved one that you have in mind and want to begin to start sensing and noticing. Start with one person for now and if you have others in mind, let’s work on sensing them after you’ve mastered your ability to sense your first loved one. It’s like learning jump rope - master one trick at a time - not all at once! It could get confusing otherwise.

Close your eyes and imagine yourself standing in your kitchen with your back turned to the open door way behind you.

Just take a moment to imagine this scene.

Next, imagine that your deceased loved one has just stepped in behind you.

If they were alive right now, you would know if the person who entered the room was your husband, dog, 5 yr old daughter or brother. You would just know. You would be able to feel their energy and sense who it was. This energy, the essence of who they are is still the same - it hasn’t changed at all - we just need you to remember it.

What does your loved one feel like to you? What did they feel like when they were alive when you were with them? You may have described with words what being with this person feels like to you - especially if you were in love with them. Take a moment to take a jog back in time. If you can’t think of a good description with words - it doesn’t matter - so long as you can feel it. When your grandfather entered a family gathering, what did his presence feel like?

What did his existence do to a room full of people, or what did it do to you?

Did you feel like being around this person is like laying on a bed of pillows when you are surrounded by bricks?

What did it feel like when this person smiled at you? Or came up behind you while you were doing dishes? Or ran over to you from far away?

What did this moment feel like? How did this person change how you felt when they were around?

It’s okay if you can’t think of the words. Remember the feeling.

Now, go back to yourself standing in the kitchen with your eyes closed. What does this person feel like to you?

It’s the same now as it was always.

3. recall your favorite moments and times with your loved one.

Now that you remember what this person feels like, start thinking of your most memorable moments with your loved one. Here’s a hint:

When do you miss them the most? Think of these times.

Is it at night when you are cuddling to fall asleep?

Is it at 6 o’clock in the morning when you are making coffee for them?

Is it in the evenings when you would quietly read together?

Is it at your son’s soccer game? Your wedding rehearsal dinner?

Is it when your car broke down on the side of the road and you really need someone to call for help?

Is it every Sunday evening family dinner?

Your most precious moments with this person are their most cherished moments, too. They do not want to miss out on these small and big events, either. So, they don’t. They make a point to still sit with you and have coffee. They still want to give your advice on your newest professional photos. They would not miss your first international presentation. Not for a second.

Write down all the times you miss this person most and count them out, because these moments are when you will be visited.

And yes, sometimes your deceased loved ones do show up randomly on a Tuesday afternoon, and why not? Over time, you’ll start to notice them around at times when you wouldn’t have expected along with all the usual instances, too. But for now, let’s stick with the moments that you both cherish and love - the moments you want them visiting and the moments they are taking the next Spirit flight over to visit you.

4. bring it all together and practice.

Once you have practiced remembering what your loved one feels like to you - the standing in the kitchen with your eyes closed exercise - take a moment to try this exercise more than once.

Try to remember what they feel like as often as you need - to make sure you have it down pact.

It feels good to remember, too. So please, practice, practice, practice away.

Next, take your loved one sensing abilities to the big stage and try it out for a test run.

Go back to your list of cherished moments and moments you wish for this person to be there and start test your spirit-sensing abilities in one of these moments.

Do you miss your grandmother when you are rocking your newborn to sleep?

Okay, go. The next time you are rocking your newborn to sleep and are alone in the nursery without any interruption, say to your grandmother “I am ready to practice with you now!”.

Then wait, and see if you can sense her.

have more questions about sensing the presence of your loved one?

Pennies Heaven: Why does my deceased loved one visit me with coins?

Have you been noticing an increase of pennies, dimes, and small coins around?

Did you and your mother decide on a sign she would use to visit you with once she crossed over, and now, you have starting spotting pennies everywhere?

One Of The Most Common Signs That Our Deceased Loved Ones Are Visiting Is The Use Of Small Signs And Symbols

pennies and dimes

When your loved one crosses over, they want nothing more than to let you know they are okay, they are watching over you, and that they love you. Often, they even want to send you small, signs, symbols and cues, to point you in the ‘right’ direction of something.

Your loved one now in Spirit, exists as pure energy, and while living and operating in the Divine Light, this is what they must use to get in contact with you. With only the realm of energy to work with, your loved one may become experimental, and choose to test the waters in the many ways they can visit you. They may attempt dreams, find a way to be in your presence and sensed by you, mess with the electricity (again, energy), send you birds and animals (energy in their movement), or even try to kiss you, brush your cheek and give you a hug!

With all of these efforts, still, the most noticeable way to get your attention is to place an object in your path - something that is out of the ordinary and not usually there. Something that will catch your attention with a little bit of shine or a touch of color. Coins are not only something you normally see out and about (usually hidden in our pocketbooks) and they are also easy to spot with a dash of sunlight.

While creating an object might be impossible, it is fairly easy to create a small gust of wind, causing a penny to drop from someone’s hand, or slide a coin from one location/surface to another.

Welcome, the small coin as a sign!

Currency, and in this case, small coins, is one of the main ways that humans communicate value to each other. We exchange money for work, money for goods, money for services, and even money for time. We are always expressing what we care about, what we value, in the form of providing the gift of currency. When your loved one visits you by sending small coins to appear in your path, it is a major sign:

meaning: you are highly valued.

Coins and currency, that are used as signs from your loved one, are most commonly in the rates of “1s” or “10s”, unless, of course, you have a standing inside joke about nickels with a particular grandfather!

So why pennies, and why dimes?

Pennies and dimes are symbolic of a few spiritual principles, and the messages they send are significant.

The meaning of the number 1 is significant, as number one is usually associated with the meaning of a Oneness, as in a One God, a One Spirit, or of One Body and One Spirit united, where the human body and the human spirit are in essence the same being. The number one, means unity and uniqueness of being. Thus, pennies are symbolic reminder that there is unity in the afterlife, and also a unity with yourself and your loved one visiting you - a oneness.

On the other hand, if you’ve been seeing dimes, rather than pennies, you might find significance in the symbolic meaning of ten. This number is the number of completion, the return to the source of all single digits - one (1 + 0 = 1). The number 10 can also refer to sky and heaven, universal creation, highest integrity, a return to unity, to completeness. Speaking as the number of complete and total absolute perfection, ten is a synthesis of being and nonbeing - one and zero. A unity of oneness and the perfect circle of infinity. The continuation and completion of all things.

If you’ve been seeing coins after the passing of your loved one, it’s a sign. A sign that you are valued, that there is oneness in the afterlife and that there is a continuation of the Spirit of your loved one.

When you see a small coin cross your path, allow yourself to pause and be reminded:

You are Valued. You are Loved.

want to know what other type

When Do Spirits Stop By? The 4 Most Common Visitation Times

Spirits

Once you identify when and how your loved ones will likely visit you, you’ll be increasingly more aware and prepared for the next time your loved ones want to stop by. So it's a good idea to do.

In general, in order for a deceased loved one to visit you, a great deal of energy must be expended on their end – coming down to the physical realm, shifting their energetic vibration so they can be felt, moving objects or making noise if they can, etc.

Since it takes so much energy for your deceased loved ones to visit – your loved ones want to make the most of their attempts to connect with you.

To make the most of their visit, your loved ones so have a few preferred times, where connecting with you, would be most noticed.

The 4 Most Common Times To Be Visited

when you're alone

The #1.

Your alone time is one of the only times of day when you are not distracted by other people – thus more likely to notice the subtle shift in the presence of another. If your alone time is in the evenings or in the very early morning, you might even be less distracted because you are preoccupying yourself with fewer tasks. In the evening, many of us are winding down for the day, and naturally, unloading all of our distractions – communications, media, chores, to-do list, mental chatter.

The fewer distractions you have, the clearer your mind is, and the more likely a deceased loved one might be able to get your attention.

when you're sleeping/dreaming

An extension of when you are alone, this one happens in an altered state of consciousness.

Even if you do share a bed with someone, usually, when you are woken up from a sleep – you are doing so as the only one awake in your house.

Thus, sometimes, a loved one may attempt to visit you at night, especially if this is the only time you are calm and your mind is quiet. While your loved ones don’t always *intend* to wake you up (sometimes they just like to be with you!), occasionally they will. Next time you are suddenly awoken, a visit from a loved one may be the reason.

Learn more about Visitation Dreams here.

during a difficult time in your life

You are going through a rough time – a time of transition or crisis, a time or existential reflection, a relationship shift, a period of release and letting go, or time of questioning.

If you lost someone who was your cushion to fall on, your comfort and support, or your shoulder to cry on – your loved one will still visit you to provide you this comfort. In fact, this is a really common one for grandmothers and romantic partners who are on the Other Side.

during family memory events

Wedding, engagements, births, sporting events, ceremonies, presentations, promotions, buying a house, sending a child of to college, winning an award, freeing yourself from a bad situation, and many others. These are all events that your loved ones do not want to miss.

Concerned that your mother passed just before the birth of your child? Don’t be. She'll be there.

These are the four most common times, however, here are also times of days when the veil between the spiritual world and the physical world is thinnest - which can make it easier for you to sense Spirit, and therefore, see them or feel them more than you normally would.

The Spiritual Meaning of Black Smoke: What Does it Mean When You See It?

When you start to see white wisps of air or white smoke beginning to form in a space, this is a common sign there’s a Spirit apparition beginning to form in the space near you.

Generally, when you see white smoke, white wisps of air or a whit-ish apparition, you’re dealing with a Light Spirit.

light spirits are:

Spirit Guides

Guardian Angels

Crossed-over deceased people

When you start to see black smoke, black shadows or grey/black apparitions, this is a possible sign you have a Lower Energy mass present in the space around you.

a lower energy could be:

An uncrossed-over deceased person (also known as an earthbound or ghost)

A non-human dark entity

A lingering negative energy (non-intelligent spirit)

Black smoke, as is white smoke, is often the physical manifestation of a spiritual or energetic situation.

Black smoke can be a sign of lower energy, from something else, in the space around you, except in these two cases:

Light Spirits, when passing between a physical light source, can appear as a shadow on a wall, simply due to the physical circumstances of a denser mass, passing through a light. In this case, a Light Spirit could be seen as a ‘black’ mass.

When people are going through a spiritual or emotional growth phase, they release negative behavioral aspects, thoughtforms and emotions from their life and being. It is possible for a person who is clairvoyant, to actually see negative energy being released from their system as it happens. Negative energy is often seen as black smoke. Seeing this physical manifestation of negative energy being released happens so frequently in the processes of spiritual growth, I call this ‘off-gassing.’

It’s completely normal as part of the awakening process.

what is the significance of seeing black smoke?

When you start to see white wisps of air or white smoke beginning to form in a space, this is a common sign there’s a Spirit apparition beginning to form in the space near you.

Generally, when you see white smoke, white wisps of air or a whit-ish apparition, you’re dealing with a Light Spirit.

light spirits are:

Spirit Guides

Guardian Angels

Crossed-over deceased people

When you start to see black smoke, black shadows or grey/black apparitions, this is a possible sign you have a Lower Energy mass present in the space around you.

a lower energy could be:

An uncrossed-over deceased person (also known as an earthbound or ghost)

A non-human dark entity

A lingering negative energy (non-intelligent spirit)

Black smoke, as is white smoke, is often the physical manifestation of a spiritual or energetic situation.

Black smoke can be a sign of lower energy, from something else, in the space around you, except in these two cases:

It’s completely normal as part of the awakening process.

what is the significance of seeing black smoke?

Well, for one, when you see black smoke, congratulations - this is a sign you have the spiritual gift of clairvoyance. It means you also have the ability to see other spiritual entities with your physical eyes. In some cases, the seeing of black smoke is simply serving the purpose to make you aware of your gifts.

Another possible reason you are seeing black smoke, is to awaken you to realize that something is going on in your space that needs your attention. Perhaps you have a Spirit present you have to learn to deal with or manage. Perhaps you have an emotional or energetic situation in your life, that needs your attention. Perhaps, you simply need to be made aware that the negative things you were working to get out of your life, are now being released from you.

If you see black smoke, please be aware it does not necessarily mean you have a Dark Entity on your hands that you need to get rid of and before you act, take a moment to consider all of the possibilities.

Whatever your specific circumstance, remember:

You are never given a situation to deal with that is more than you can handle.

I hope this helps!

Anxiety As A Sign Of Psychic Gifts

spiritual anxiety symptoms and causes

When I was younger and Spirits would visit me, I'd paced around, I'll get so worked up I'm unable to calm down, and I even start hyperventilating in the worst of cases.

While I am a natural worrier, this . . . was different.

This was a type of anxiety-like wave that would just hit me.

Before I was a professional medium, I’d visited a multitude of doctors, taken a variety of anti-anxiety medications, and even gone to sleep specializes...all to try to control it.

And nothing would really, fully work until I discovered it wasn't regular anxiety at all.

It was Spirits.

You see, mediums tend to have a way in which we sense when a Spirit is around.

Spirit Anxiety feels a lot like sudden onset anxiety or adrenaline and it can lead many mediums to see their gifts as a psychological disorder, and not part of a greater gift. Which is is.

Spirit anxiety is caused by the psychic gift of clairsentience and it is often initiated by the presence of a spirit who is attempting contact with you.

For this reason, your anxiety could be a sign of incoming psychic abilities and/or hidden/latent mediumship gifts coming through, and not a sign of a psychological disorder at all (this is called Type 2 Mediumship).

When a Spirit is trying to link their energy with yours, as a sensitive, you'll be able to feel that high vibration energy coming in and wanting to connect.

As an entirely energetic being, without the weight and density of a physical body, those in Spirit are naturally higher in vibrational energy than us humans.

Thus, when a Spirit connects with you, your energy must raise up and become higher - more akin to your Spiritual counterparts. Many mediums will to raise their energy on purpose and with intent, but if a Spirit really wants to talk to you, they will gladly raise it up for you, and that - is what feels like the anxiety.

Much like a sensitive piece of laboratory equipment, may be accidentally reading and picking up on an errant signals from the Spirit World, and you may as well tap in and see what they have to say.

What Do Feel Like? A Short Guide On How To Sense Spirits

Felt things in tunnels and old buildings before? Suddenly perceived a change in a child's room at night? Noticed a chilly sensation come through a space quite quickly? Well then perhaps you've already sensed what I'm here to discuss. So to begin -

Imagine you are at a party. You're having a really good time. You’re socializing, talking to friends, and drinking a fun, summer cocktail, that you never get to treat yourself to. Suddenly, you realize your drink has gone empty and you need to head into the kitchen for a refill.

When you re-enter the living room, the energy has seemed to shift.

Things don’t seem as fun anymore, everyone is a bit more tense, more still, more heavy and quite. You know something isn’t right, but you don’t know what.

Has something like this ever happened to you?

If so, congratulations.

You have the ability to sense energy.

What just happened in this room is that there was likely an argument in your absence and tense, then rough emotions, death glares, and words carrying certain tone were sent out into the room as energy, sending reverberations of a certain vibration through the space, even in just the form of sound wave, as any musician will tell you, it has an effect.

This energy is what you felt.

Even though the argument had ended, the energetic nature of the interaction is still present.

Each of us exists in both energetic form and physical form.

Some call this the spiritual body and physical body, the duality.

The spiritual body is what senses the unseen, and the physical body senses what is in the tangible. Like the yin-yang of senses, if you will, and if you can sense emotions in a room, you can also sense those in Spirit.

Those in Spirit, even without physical bodies, still have energy bodies - all of which carry a certain vibration and resonance - and any emotion that carries with it.

The ability to sense those in Spirit is called clairsentience, which means ‘clear feeling' and it's a lot more common a gift than people think.

To some degree, each and every one of us has feelings and can, therefore, sense the feelings, emotions, coming to us as energy, from those around us. And then even more therefore, each and every one of us has some level of clairsentience.

Clairsentience is usually the first of our abilities that open up because we all use in our day to day lives to assess our surroundings for safety and to ultimately, ever since birth.

And some people believe that people who grew up in abusive homes are actually naturally attuned to be more clairsentient than others once they reach adulthood, as they've had so much time and necessity to develop the ability in the early developmental years - as it was for their own safety.

You don’t have to be told to know someone is mad at you - as long as you’re perceptive, you know. You can sense it. This is clairsentience working without even your immediate knowledge.

There is a language of energy that exists for all emotions and each person you meet, and all those in Spirit are energy, there is also a language of energy for each and every Spiritual being - Angel, Guide, Loved Ones, or Earth Spirit. In learning how to sense Spirit, it essential to know the feeling and energy of each type of Spirit, that you are most likely to encounter.

In many cases, this ‘sensing’ is an attempt for a Spirit to get in touch with you, or at the very least be aware of its presence. If you can determine in which of these above ways that you ‘feel’ Spirit, keep this thought in your mind and test it.

What Do Spirits Feel Like?

Well, they all feel different depending on which group we're talking about here. So let's review a few. Starting with . . .

the deceased

When a human Spirit is present, each one of us has a unique sensation that we experience.

You may feel a heaviness or pressure around you or over your head.

A heat in the air or tingly sensation on your arms and back.

And for some, their ability to sense spirit it starts with the feeling that they're being followed.

(For more on what Spirit feels like, see The Spirit Identification Key)

Or it feels like a sudden fastness accelerating your world, as though you are falling on a roller coaster.

I often describe the presence of a human spirit as a thickness, warmness to a room, as those you entered a space with a dense crowd at a party . . . yet, hardly anyone, perhaps just yourself, is present. The reason for this is because the Spirit who is present has energy that is not limited to their physical body, thus, they can expand it to get your attention.

The presence of your deceased loved ones often feels very comforting. And, many people do not realize the presence of a deceased loved one for this reason - it feels good - and we usually only ‘pick-up’ on those things that feel scary to us.

A hug, a brush of your hair, holding your hand, and a gentle touch – feeling their touch is most common in the days directly following your deceased loved one’s passing, however, some Spirits do continue to visit, long after their passing, using the ability of touch. This may also manifest in feeling them not touch you, but an object near you, for instance, noticing someone sit or lay down in the bed next to you.

Ghosts are a special type of deceased person, those who have not crossed into the Light yet sometimes referred to as earthbound spirits.

They tend to create a heavy, dense feeling in a space because they are so closely tied to earth.

If you walk into a space and suddenly feel like a heavy blanket has dropped on you, there is a good chance a ghost is with you - a remnant energy from a previous emotional event, or a human being. All ghosts feel dense. The more closely tied to the earth a human ghost or how recent the event, determines the level of denseness, or powerful, the energy in the space.

Many people, myself included, feel that ghosts typically make you feel not only heavy but also anxiety-inducing, sometimes creating the perception that one has a shortness of breath when one is present.

I describe it like a "being in a crowded elevator" type of feeling.

This is because they are so densely connected to Earth, and It is most likely their anxiety, worry, concern, and fear you are picking up on, rather than your own. Some people find that ghosts are cold or chilling in feeling - as they often draw on your heat (energy) to sustain themselves. Learn more about the differences between Ghosts and those who have crossed over here.

moving onto spirit guides and angels

Spirit Guides and Angels are often referred to as Beings of Light, and as such, they have a very high, elevated, lifting feeling, when one is present. Often, the presence of a guide will feel like a tingling sensation, sometimes described as a numbness, on one or all parts of your body. When my Sister senses her Guides, it feels like a tingle on her crown, where other clients have described simply a presence stepping close to you, or a tingle or numbness in the forearms or hands.

Depending on the Guide or Angel that is visiting you, in addition to the slight tingly warmth you feel on your body, you’ll also pick up a unique ‘fingerprint’ of this being. For example is a strong and protective warrior, you will also get a sense of protected and safeness.

This feeling of a gentle massage or shimmer on your skin is most commonly a Light Being - a Guide or Angel. The sensation of an Angelic presence is usually associated with visions of light, flashes of light, or dreams with light beings. Learn more about seeing Angels here.

then finally a brief overview on earth and fairy spirits

Earth spirits like fairies, gnomes, and animal spirits, often visit my making their awareness knowing in an attitude or emotional behavior shift.

Do you normally feel down and grumpy, and recently, you’ve been feeling giggly and like a jokester for no reason?

Have you found yourself going into nature and coming out with elevated joyous spirits?

This elevated, joyous, change in a more gentle and light-hearted attitude shift, is often the work of a fairy or a gnome.

Animal spirits, often make their presence known with sudden awareness - you may begin to notice things you haven’t before and have heightened abilities to step out of yourself and become an observer. Animal Spirits provide us with untapped skills of awareness, in many forms.

Now that you know the first three primary groups, the next step in improving your Spirit sensory abilities is to go into further detail on the topic or attempt connecting with one of the groups in meditation.

The best part is, many people are more sensitive to those in Spirit than they actually realize once they learn all the signs, so you'll likely be noticing some stuff that's been happening all along, the more you pay attention.

In my eBooks, The Medium's Toolkit and then even in more detail in The Spirit Identification Key, I go into further detail where I discuss all the most common ways to sense, hear and perceive those in Spirit.

10 Most Common Signs From Your Deceased Loved Ones

Note from Amanda: You're tuning in to the most popular articles on my blog, thank you, reader. If you're new here, after you're finished reading this one, make sure to check out all my newest articles here before you go - onward:

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Through dreams, feeling sensations or simply hearing a meaningful song on the radio while having a stressful day, your deceased loved ones attempt to connect with you after their passing.

There are many reasons why they return to visit, and you don’t have to be a medium or even go to one to experience the presence of a deceased loved one that you know personally.

In fact, it’s incredibly common.

These direct methods of communication can occur anywhere and at anytime, though they are most common when you are alone and aware of your surroundings to take notice. You can receive a sign when you are fully awake, in twilight state of dreaming and waking or in dream state.

With the ability to connect people and their deceased loved ones, I’ve come up with a list of the most common methods and techniques that your loved ones have used to visit you.

10 most common signs from your deceased loved ones

1. dream visitations

This is the most common way to be visited by those in Spirit, both by deceased loved ones and Spirit Guides. While you may talk yourself out of a ‘Spirit visitation’ dream even if you've had one, these types of dreams are much different than regular dreams.

In Spirit visitation dreams, a deceased loved one often enters the dream and is surrounded by some sort of light. In the dream, while they may talk to you or ask you to deliver messages, they will usually offer some sort of comfort that they are okay, everything is peaceful and that they made it to the Other Side comfortably.

2. sensing their presence

Many people report sensing the presence of their loved one around them after their passing.

You might notice a shift when they are around – either a change in the energy or actual movement in the air. Perhaps at night, you notice pressure in the bed next to you, as if someone got into bed with you, or you might feel like someone is sitting next to you in the evenings while you read a book. This is a common type of visit. If you were very close with the person you feel is visiting and you were able to notice their presence while they were alive – you still have this ability after they have shifted from physical into Spirit form.

They are the same essence they were with body, and now, without body.

3. feeling their touch

A hug, a brush of your hair, holding your hand, or a gentle touch on your back – these are some of the most comforting forms of connection that can happen.

Feeling their touch is most common to sense in the days directly following your deceased loved one’s passing, however, some of those in Spirit do continue to visit, long after their passing, using the ability of perceived touch. This ability to touch can also manifest in feeling them not touch you, but an object near you, for instance, noticing someone sit or lay down in the bed next to you.

4. smelling their fragrance

The ability to smell the fragrance from a deceased loved one or Spirit is called clairgustance.

These visits commonly reported as the fragrance of cigarette or cigar smoke, perfume, flowers, or cooking. If you smell cigar smoke, and no one smokes in your house, except your deceased grandfather – chances are, it’ him and he’s letting you know he’s around, visiting, and saying hello.

5. hearing their voice

This is called clairaudience. It is possible to hear the voice of your deceased loved one externally, as though they are actually speaking to you in human form, or internally, through thought or word transference.

Internal clairaudience is the most common way to ‘hear a voice’, as the hearing happens inside your mind. Why? Those in Spirit no longer have a voice box - so creating an external noise is very hard.

Do you talk to your husband, grandmother, or best friend on the Other Side, in your mind?

Take a moment, and wait to see if you can hear a response. Usually, you can.

Learn how those in Spirit hear us.

6. unexpected electrical activity

We all have energy and energy runs through all things, including electrical devices.

For those on the Other Side, not only is it fun to learn how to use energy to connect - many of those in Heaven learn that the energy in electrical devices is quite easy to manipulate.

For this reason, it is actually quite common for those in Spirit to manipulate TV, lights and toys to get your attention. They can turn things on and off, change channels, and make things move.

Songs on the radio, that are meaningful to you or your lost loved one, are a favorite way for those on the Other Side to deliver to you messages that you may need to hear - right at that exact moment, with electricity.

7. a phone call

The day after my father passed over, I received several phone calls, from unknown numbers, with nothing but static on the other line. While discussing this event with friends, they recounted similar experiences, in the days following the passing of their loved ones. Since a phone is an electrical object, manipulating the energy to make a phone call is not much different than other electrical activity. This sign could occur in the months or years following the crossing of a loved one, it seems to be most common in immediate days following the transition.

8. receiving a symbolic message, sign, coincidence or synchronicity

Your deceased loved ones are often very eager to let you know they are part of your life and with you when you least expect it.

While many people can feel their deceased loved ones watching over them, sometimes, it’s hard to be that perceptive, or to be that sure that what we felt was really what we thought it was. So, those in Spirit will provide us with signs that we cannot ignore. Once you receive this type of sign, time and time again, you will know this is a message from the Other Side – and don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise!

The signs can and will come to you in a variety of ways, and the key is keep your eye open for synchronicities and anything out of the ordinary.

Wondering where and what to look for?

Small Objects: Feathers, Coins, and Stones.

Spirit likes to place things in our path that were significant to them (or significant to us), over and over again. My father collected stones, and will often place new stones in the path of myself, my mother, and my sister when he visits. However, others see feathers, coins, and other small objects usually in their path.

Animals: Spirits use energy to be with us, and often, it is through the energy of animal world - such as a butterfly, bird, ladybug, dragonfly, or other creature - for a very short amount of time. If an animal does something usual - like land in front of or on you, stare at you through a window, or call in your path, this could be a sign.

A common sign from those of the Other Side, are usually animals that are colorful (the more colorful something is - the more noticeable it is to you). Keep an eye out for bluebirds, jays, and cardinals.

Flowers: Spirits can send us flowers in unexpected ways.

If you receive a flower sign, it could be in the form of an unexpected bouquet or gift, or a flower that is blooming out of season.

A few months ago, I asked for a sign, specifically in the form of flowers, and three days later, I arrived at work with a bouquet on my desk. Upon asking around, no one had any idea where these flowers came from or how they got there. In another example, did your mother love bulb flowers, such as tulips, daffodils? Suddenly, you might notice one pop up in your yard. With a sign like this, it's worth taking notice. Learn more about Flower Signs here.

People: Your loved ones on the Other Side can and will use people to give you messages, and generally, the person delivering the message is not aware of it. Listen to those around you, the words they are speaking may be a direct message from the Spirit world to you! Also, those in Spirit may send meaningful people in your direction such as teachers, life partners, and new best friends.

9. movement

Sometimes, those in Spirits will move objects to get your attention. Does the same photograph keep falling? Is the same thing always being ‘misplaced’ or ‘lost’ while in your possession?

Consider this method of communication, as it is most commonly sent to those whose attention it's hard to reach. Also, moving objects will often times create noise, which can startle your awareness, too!

10. seeing an apparition (flat photo, hologram, partial, full)

Believe it or not, seeing an apparition, while you are awake, with your eyes open, is one of the least common methods on this list. Though it’s the most widely cited in popular media, due to it’s shock value, it’s quite rare. Learn more about apparitions here.

But just because your deceased loved one isn’t appearing to you in full ghost form yet, doesn’t mean they haven’t attempted contact in one of the many other methods on this list.

Many people find that visits from their loved ones are common and plenty in the days, weeks, and months following a loved ones passing, but they can continue for years. This happens when you have a child, soulmate, or life partner pass away early on and they stay with you until you both finish your soul path on this life. This is normal.

Have you been seeing Cardinals, Red-tailed Hawks, or other birds? Thinking it might be a sign from the spirits or your deceased loved ones?

If so, you may be right! Those on the Other Side love more than anything to send you signs, symbols, and hints that they are near and with you ~ more than you may even know.

While those in Spirit can connect with you through your own thoughts, and through a medium, they often attempt to send you an external sign that they are with you, as an added assurance of their very real presence in Spirit.

Coins, flowers, numbers, and small objects are common ways to send you a message of their presence, but one very special way is to send an animal in your direction.

Your loved ones in Spirit, now exist entirely in a form of energy, and as such, they can utilize the energy present in animals (and plants) to connect with you. This is temporary, and your loved ones can ‘borrow’ the body of an animal and use their energy to connect with you. As a medium, in a private reading, your loved ones use my body, my energy to connect with you - and this is the same technique, but only, with wildlife.

Which Wildlife Are The Preferred Vehicles?

Common,colorful and/or larger birds and beautiful winged insects such as:

Cardinals

Bluebirds

Red tailed Hawks

Butterflies and moths

Adult dragonflies

why?

mobility and travel

Birds and winged insects can fly, which means they can travel faster to you. Also, traversing in the sky, rather than land, there are less obstacles that can get in the way, thwarting a visit. They can migrate from farther distances in shorter time than many land mammals, thus, if you were to move or be in a different location - but were in need of a visit from Spirit - you are more easily reached via a bird or winged insect. For example, imagine your sign from your Father is a Pileated Woodpecker, a large, loud, and easy to spot bird, native to the southeastern United States.

But, then, unexpectedly, you move to another part of the country, where there are not normally Pileated Woodpeckers. What now? While this bird can migrate and travel, it would be far easier if it were a more common species, such as a Cardinal, that could be present anywhere you may travel! Additionally, birds can travel temporarily to new locations, more so than land animals.

visibility

We notice wildlife and animals, especially when they appear right in our face and line of sight. Birds and winged insects, when we notice them, are often within eye-level. Additionally, they can put themselves within eye level of us on a fairly quick basis.

Birds and winged insects, those which are employed by Spirit, are often selected FOR their visibility specifically. So, the more noticeable to you, the better for Spirit. Bright colors, big sizes, easily identifiable species - these are the preferred carriers for your visit. Why would you make the effort if it goes unnoticed? Visibility simply raises the chances they’ll be noticed!

For example, Cardinals, especially male Cardinals, are highly visible and common in the United States, where I live.

No matter where I have lived in my life - east coast, west coast, midwest, south - I have managed to spot a Cardinal. While they are not an everyday sight, when I see them, I notice. And, I’ve seen them everywhere.

Thus, this is an excellent bird for your loved ones in Spirit to use to connect with you - they are bright and visible, common, and can move quickly about, if necessary.

If you were to move after your loved one crosses over, they will still prefer to connect with you with the same sign - as it is your secret code. So, they’ll try to select something common enough to reach you - no matter where you go or to what places you travel. Okay, so you moved somewhere with no Cardinals, like another country?

Look for the next red bird you see - and you’ll find your new ‘code word’.

ant to know what other types of signs you are being sent from above?

Your loved one in Spirit is visiting you in more than one way. Find out how.

Crossing Over To Connection:

A Guide To Life After Death

In this long awaited eBook from Amanda Linette Meder, she answers over 50+ of the most commonly asked questions from clients and those that have lost someone that they love - including this one.

Benefits and Uses of White Sage

Benefits And Uses Of White Sage

by amanda linette meder

White sage (Salvia apiana) is a plant native to high desert ecosystems and grows prevalently in California and in the Mountain West.

For hundreds of years, white sage has been considered a sacred, cleansing, purifying, and protective plant.

The leaves of the plant are a whitish-green, and if you rub the fresh leaves between your thumb and forefinger, a refreshing, cleansing scent is released.

Native Americans started the tradition of using Sacred Sage to ward off evils spirits and negative energies, and white sage has been used in ceremonies to seek blessings of health and prosperity, banish spirits, encourage protection. Sacred sage can amplify any clearing and protective techniques that you are already using. As a plant, and a living being, sage also has a Spirit. The Spirit of sage is dedicated to offering protection, blessings, and clearing.

how can you work with white sage?

Most people, including myself, choose to burn it.

Sage Smudging is a ritual where the leaves of the Sage plant are burned, and the smoke is directed into and onto areas that are in need of clearing and protection.

The idea is that as the leaves are burned, and you speak express your gratitude for its assistance, the spirit of the sage plant releases it's energy of protection and clearing into the space, or onto and saround the object that needs clearing.

As the smoke moves through the room or over a surface, the smoke attaches itself to any heavy, negative energy that is within the space, object or being. As the smoke clears, the spirit of White Sage carries with it the negative energy that was once attached, back up to the Spiritual Light.

This heavy energy then becomes released, so that it may regenerate into something positive.

You can perform this smudging ritual on anything or anyone that needs a clearing (if it is a living being, remember to ask permission!). You can use White Sage to help you clear a room, a building, or a property. White sage can assist you in releasing energies and thought forms from yourself or another that no longer serves you. You can ask Sage to assist you in cleansing unknown energies from a stone, or an object that you received as a gift!

Sage Smudging Protocols

Obtain a wand or stick of white sage - find one here.

The first rule of working with White Sage is this:

After you light the sage, do not stop it from burning. The spirit of white sage knows just how much negativity or heaviness needs to be released and will burn accordingly. In fact, I've burned entire wands of sage in one sitting or had other wands stay 'lit' for only a minute or two. If you feel you are done burning sage, place the wand in a fireproof bowl, or on the stove and allow the sage to cease burning, naturally. If you watch the smoke, sometimes it will drift to a particular part of the room, car, or person - that is where the healing/protection energy is most needed.

a few safety tips-

Use a heatproof bowl to put the sage in, after it has been ignited. Some prefer to use an abalone shell, but abalone is endangered, so any piece of thick, fired pottery is beautiful and just fine.

Be safe and keep the air as still as possible when you smudge.

No fans, or open doors and windows. Any gust of wind could further ignite the sage and blow sparks and ashes out of the bowl! Avoid wearing billowy clothing and tie back your long hair, if you have it. You're about to have a mini-fire in your hands, treat it with respect and please be careful.

Light the sage at the very tips of the leaves on top of the wand. Once the flames come to life, blow them out quickly. Do not let it flame burn. Once it is lit, and the flame is blown out, it will smoke.

The movement and release of the energy comes with the smoke, not with the flames.

Place the lit, smoking top of the wand of sage, down inside the bowl, and rest the sides of the wand on the edge of the bowl. Use your hand, a small piece of cardboard, or a feather to "waft" the smoke.

Set an Intention. Using the smoke of the white sage to cleanse and protect, it's important that you ask and set the intention that this is going to happen. As you work with white sage to cleanse, I suggest repeating a mantra, to remind the energies that you are releasing that they are unwelcome and asked to leave.

For example, as you smudge, repeat:

I release all energies that no longer serve me to be released from me and this space and into the divine light. You no longer have nor hold power here. Loving and peaceful energy is welcome and invited in now.

This is my sacred space, and anything that no longer serves me is released with this sacred smoke.

Smudging A Room Or House

Keep the windows and doors closed to the room you have chosen to smudge.

Start in one corner of the room and gently waft the smoke after it spirals above the bowl, from the floor up to the ceiling. Always start from the bottom and move to the top - this is the natural pattern of smoke -

Smudging A House

Bend over, so that the bowl is about the level of your feet and ankles. Gently waft the smoke upward. Slowly unbend and straighten up, you are bringing the sage/bowl and fanning the smoke up, up, upward until you’ve sent the smudging smoke up above your head.

If someone is smudging you, turn around in a circle, and ask them to smudge you, from feet to head on all sides. As you turn slowly in a clockwise direction, they will stand still and waft the smoke from your feet to your head.

Make a complete circle, and thank the Spirits for their assistance. Next, offer your friend a smudging!

Smudging An Object

If you have a crystal or a piece of jewelry given to you, or anything else that you want to cleanse, hold it in your hand (if it is small enough). Waft smoke from below the object, so that the sage smoke covers the object from below, traveling. Swirl the smoke around the object until you feel the cleansing is complete. Remember to repeat your mantra.

If you are smudging a protection object such as a crystal that you wear and have asked it to absorb negative energies, you will want to cleanse this object periodically to make sure it is fully functioning.

looking to get some sage?

Where To Buy Sage:

I generally recommend that people purchase their sage locally, so they can get a good look at it before they purchase it. You want to make sure you buy sage that was grown and harvested intentionally, and without pesticides.

Wild harvesting is a good option, but careful of over harvesting and make sure to avoid over picked areas. We want the sage to grow back for future generations so you want to either be the person

who picked it or know the person who did, for best results. The best time to harvest is early August - late September.

For more on wild harvesting and on growing your sage own, check out this article.

21 Signs You're A Medium

by amanda linette meder

Note from Amanda: You're tuning into one of most popular articles on the blog, thank you, reader. New here? After you're finished reading this one, make sure to check out all my newest articles here, now onward:

As I started developing my gifts and sharing them with the world, lots of people thought I was crazy. And truth be told, I'd almost convinced myself of that, too.

But I soon realized that something more was going on. After all, if you're an otherwise a rational human being in all other areas of your life, why would you be crazy, but *only* in this one way?

See, it doesn't make sense.

After years of validation and feedback, it's confirmed: what I got is an ability, not a disease.

Since then, I’ve met many a person with abilities just like me, but have become convinced by friends, family, media, own insecurity - that they've got a problem, rather than just a rather interesting quirk . . . so I wrote what you're reading now - this post.

If you're reading this - I want to you to know you may not be crazy. At least not like that.

Experiences happen whether you're under stress or not, and regardless of how many remedies you try. No matter how many variables you change, you'll just find yourself right back to square one. Sound familiar?

People who date mediums find them more compassionate, empathetic and thoughtful than other partners they've had and those who are friends with a medium, never have to live a moment in their life without someone to call on for support.

Mediums are really just big 'ol empaths.

But with one teeny-eensy catch:

They pick up on feelings, emotions, and impressions from the living and from the dead, rather than just from the living. See, not so bad.

You don't have to be a professional medium to sense the presence of Spirit, anyone can get this ability. And there are two types of onset - one onset later in life, and one early on. Think: like Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. One has to do more with heredity and genetics (we think), and the other has more to do more with certain weatherings of life experience that make you more susceptible to it.

Anyway, I'm getting over my head now: what follows is a list of symptoms that commonly present themselves when you have is the gift of mediumship. Taken alone, each thing on this list could require medical attention, but when combined with 15 or more symptoms . . .

21 signs you're a medium

You've always had an interest and belief in the paranormal

You can walk into a room and feel pressure, heat, heaviness or emotions

You recall seeing or sensing spirits as a child or know relatives or have

You had an unexplainable fear of the dark, either in childhood or now

You have an active dream life, including vivid nightmares or lucid dreams

You are woken up at night frequently and/or generally don't slept well

You’ve had that weird, creepy feeling in old buildings, cemeteries, or in places of trauma

You’ve seen things out of the corner of your eye: white smoke, sparkles, shadows, figures

Someone close to you has died, and you've been experiencing a lot of odd things

You hear voices and have convinced yourself it's nagging thoughts, overactive imagination, or things you just made up

You’ve pretended conversations with animals: cats, dogs, wildlife

You’ve been getting bad anxiety from out of nowhere, having a hard time breathing

You hear strange noises other rooms when no one else is there or home

You don’t like to be alone especially at night

You've felt watched

You, or someone you’re related to, has pointed out spirits or paranormal experiences they've had

You’ve had paranormal experiences yourself that you can’t entirely explain

Electronics, appliances, lights, and TVs all tend to go out or flicker around you

You have a habit of delivering spirit smackdowns: profound lengthy manifestos to others, then after the words leave your mouth, you have no idea where the information came from

You've developed a nethings

You hear voices and have convinced yourself it's nagging thoughts, overactive imagination, or things you just made up

You’ve pretended conversations with animals: cats, dogs, wildlife

You’ve been getting bad anxiety from out of nowhere, having a hard time breathing

You hear strange noises other rooms when no one else is there or home

You don’t like to be alone especially at night

You've felt watched

You, or someone you’re related to, has pointed out spirits or paranormal experiences they've had

You’ve had paranormal experiences yourself that you can’t entirely explain

Electronics, appliances, lights, and TVs all tend to go out or flicker around you

You have a habit of delivering spirit smackdowns: profound lengthy manifestos to others, then after the words leave your mouth, you have no idea where the information came from

You've developed a nervous twitch and it's been getting worse

You’ve taken prescription pills, drugs, or alcohol to avoid any of the above

If 15 or more of these things check "yes," congratulations, you're having a baby! Just kidding...

You may find it helpful know that what you are experiencing is fairly common, and you aren't alone. Lots of people from all over the political, religious, age, class, race, industry spectrum have pulled me aside to talk about this. (So relax, alright?) It's just something no one wants to discuss because they're afraid everyone will think they're crazy. It's a terrible isolation loop, really. But moving on . . .

A lot of completely well-rounded people can see, feel and hear through the veil from time to time. Though it's true: it's not something always easy to get used to at first, but over time, trust me - it grows on you. It really does grow.

The beauty of this gift is that you don't necessarily need to do anything with it besides embrace it and let it enrich your life in whatever way you want it to. Of course, you could go down open a store on Front Street tomorrow if you want (don't let me stop ya) . . . but before we do

The So how can you tell when it's happening?

Thankfully, some first signs of mediumship present themselves physical signs.

Sudden migraine, side temple headache: rare

Sudden nausea, upset stomach: common

Dizziness, faintness of breath: pretty common

Tightness in chest, difficulty breathing: very common

That's why you see on TV, mediums suddenly grasping a wall or something when spirit be comin' through. Because it's like that. It can hit you like that. Hard and fast. Sometimes it still hits me like a wall.

So if you feel any of these in any known spirit-y local, old antique stores, train stations, performing arenas, anywhere where you have a lot of inward/outward influx of people and energy - hospitals - and so on, well: then it's a hit.

But, it can also happen in your home, especially after someone you know dies.

I describe the feeling of spirit present to me as similar to when you are climbing the great drop tower at an amusement park, but it feels slightly different and nuanced to everyone.

In my eBook, The Medium Toolkit, we go over the most common ways all the different types of mediums sense, see and hear those in Spirit, if you're interested in learning more. Also, this whole blog is dedicated to new mediumship and processing all the feelings surrounding new and old gifts, alike. So it's Ok. You're here, among peers - take some time to look around.

Popular post round ups are on the sidebar >>, find all the newest articles here, or check out the next recommended in the links below. And welcome. Syndrome and How It Can Influence Your Growth -

So how can you tell when it's happening?

Thankfully, some first signs of mediumship present themselves physical signs.

Sudden migraine, side temple headache: rare

Sudden nausea, upset stomach: common

Dizziness, faintness of breath: pretty common

Tightness in chest, difficulty breathing: very common

But, it can also happen in your home, especially after someone you know dies.

I describe the feeling of spirit present to me as similar to when you are climbing the great drop tower at an amusement park, but it feels slightly different and nuanced to everyone.

Popular post round ups are on the sidebar >>, find all the newest articles here, or check out the next recommended in the links below. And welcome.

The Imposter Syndrome:

How It Can Influence Your Growth

by amanda linette meder

When I was in academia, there was this thing, called the imposter syndrome.

The imposter syndrome states that at some point in your career, you are going to wake up and feel like a fake that doesn’t belong in the position you’re in.

the tenants of imposter syndrome are that:

experiencing imposter syndrome is pretty much a guarantee for anyone

it’s more common among high-achieving woman, though

the way you get over it is by acknowledging it for what it is

In the academic community, the rule was that imposter syndrome could strike at any time and honestly, it’s appearance was not without warrant.

how imposter syndrome first showed up for me:

An academic who is actively conducting research must present that research at a scientific conference every quarter.

At these presentations, it was not uncommon for other scientists in the audience to listen quite politely and then very end of their presentation, to pull your experiment apart and attempt to de-validate the whole thing in front of a room of your peers.

I always thought the ruling forces here were competition and ego, but the older scientists seemed to rationalize this behavior by saying that constructive criticism made for better scientists. It wasn’t constructive criticism, though . . . it was humiliation. Through and through.

Though I am no longer a practicing academic in the traditional sense, I still create hypotheses and test them on my own as they relate to the spiritual journey.

And in doing this, I have begun to see the imposter syndrome, rearing its head among my intuitive students and among, my fellow colleagues. And because of this, I wanted to write about it.

if you . . .

feel like you very well may be a fake (don't let the criticism get to you!)

are doubting your abilities (even if you’ve been practicing a while)

don’t feel like you are good enough to teach others (you are)

say hello to my old friend, imposter syndrome.

let’s give it a hug and remember it’s tenants -

experiencing imposter syndrome is pretty much a guarantee

It's more common among high-achieving woman (hellloo, high achieving woman)

and you can get over it by just acknowledging it for what it is:

it's something we all go through -

Here's how to build a network of 935,000 readers in just 3 months

Here's How To Build A Network Of 935,000 Readers In Just 3 Months

by amanda linette meder

As I write this, I’m sitting in my third story office, overlooking a winter forest below. There are 3 different species of woodpecker I can see from just my window alone, and two more that just flew in to join the group.

This is my life now.

I wake up, I write, I take a few calls, do something to generate inspiration (or that something finds me), and then I write some more.

But it wasn’t always like this.

In the first months of me starting this website, I hustle, hustle, hustled, and then hustled some more. From dawn 'til dusk (often much later than that), you could find me glued to my computer screen in my one bedroom flat apartment - either writing a new article or researching techniques for writing a new article . . . and understanding how to get the message of that article out there.

Needless to say, starting a business - especially an online one - isn’t easy. It takes ingenuity, passion, drive, commitment, courage and all types of other skills. It takes business sense and it takes lots and lots of creativity.

And in the span of me starting my online business, within the first three months - something amazing happened.

An article I wrote went viral, and within a few short weeks, millions of new readers were flocking to my website. It was an exciting time - and it broke the pavement for a new phase of my life -

enter the phase when people start to actually read your writing

No matter your profession, if you have an online website like I do, your goal is for people to see it. The more people see it, the more potential people you can serve with your message, the more your audience and the greater your reach. This is as true for psychic mediums as it is for legal offices. You want people to find you.

in today’s day and age, the way you ‘get found’ is through the internet.

So, how do you get found exactly?

This month (February 2016) in the Membership Program, we are talking about something I like to call the spider web effect.

The spider web effect states that the more of YOU that you weave out into the Universe, and in the more directions you weave it, the more potential people your web is going to encounter and touch.

This web ultimately translates to readers, loyal followers who have your back and potential clients, if you eventually do decide to sell services, such as readings or consultations.

How To Build Your Following

#3 weave your web

Start a content marathon! Write or Vblog something every day, for 30 days. Share quotes, small stories, little tips that helped you in doing what you are doing now, experiences you’ve had - whatever! The more you write, the more you find your voice and the more authentic your brand will become. And don’t forget - the more you weave out there, the more people will see you. So write, write, write!

PSSST - and when you write, don’t forget to submit your website to Google Webmaster Tools for crawling - it’ll help with a faster search engine indexing (findability by others) of your material.

#2 long tail keywords

Once you’ve written something, type into Google a potential title. Then, scroll all the way to the bottom to find the “Searches related to” in blue.

Bing-o.

These are the searches that other people used (aka, your potential readers) when looking for your topic. Make sure your written blogs or Vblogs include at least one Long Tail keyword in the title or excerpt and you and your article will be 1000% more findable.

#1 backlinks

When you write or share something from your website, make sure to include a few backlinks to other relevant articles (written and shared by you or someone else). This will help the search engines who crawl your site figure out what your content is about and related to.

When you associate yourself with something else that’s similar, your site will become more searchable when people are looking for that ‘something else’ and Google will have a better idea of where to place your website in related searches. And once Google knows what you’re about, that’s really the master key.

There you go.

here are the keys to success:

- write a ton.

- make yourself findable by figuring out what other people are trying to find.

- and help google connect the dots to what your content is about.

After following that formula for just 3 months, I was on my way to a sustainable business with a booming blog following . . . and the rest is history.

Now, back to those woodpeckers

5 Creative Ways To Make More Money (While Not Giving a Single Reading)

5 Ways To Make Money As A Psychic Without Giving A Single Reading

take your healing, reading or spiritual coaching business to the next level - without wearing yourself out

Are you an intuitive professional? Giving readings or thinking about giving readings as a main income source? Do you want to free up your time from clients to work on more creative projects?

As a psychic medium and an online entrepreneur, giving readings as a main source of income is tempting and it used to be my primary bread and butter.

If you're currently practicing as an intuitive, I don't have to tell you this - but readings can be time consuming, emotionally taxing and sometimes, downright unpleasant. Additionally, when you're giving readings as your main source of income means you are never allowed to get a break - essentially - with readings as a primary income source - you’re always on call.

And after reading my previous article about burnout, you’re already aware that being “always on call” is a recipe for potential disaster.

The Good News That Being A Medium Isn't All About Readings.

Being a medium isn’t all about being on call and it shouldn't be either.

Readings are the primary income source for most mediums - however, they are also the most time-consuming task of most mediums, too. And since reading is simply the act of channeling information from spirit and transmuting it so other people can understand, comprehend and integrate it in the physical realm - a true ‘reading’ or a bringing through of spirit information to the physical world can happen in many ways.

Thankfully, there many ways you can make money as an intuitive that don’t require you to be on call one-on-one with a client.

Just by channeling the information you receive from spirit into a way that helps others in the physical realm - you’re still acting as a conduit from Spirit.

And technically, you can give a reading (be the conduit) in more ways than one - it’s just all about at what scale.

5 Creative Ways To Scale Your Intuitive Practice And Make More Money

as a spiritual professional working the psychic industry

#5 advertisements

When you provide free content that is consumed by people on the internet, numbers matter. The more people that you can get to view your content, the more advertisers are interested in getting their information in front of the eyes of those people, too. If you are producing a written blog (free written content) or a video blog (free YouTube videos), you can make the thousands a month you need in pageview advertising that will allow you to continue to offer so much great free resources to the public.

. . thousands - just in advertisements alone. Google Adsense is a great place to start for this. Remember, spiritual person: the cycle of giving and receiving. You do deserve to receive for all that you give and put out.

#4 affiliate linking

As a spiritual professional, it’s likely that there are books or crystals you’ve used, products or classes that you’ve taken or materials that you suggest to your students for their own development. When you link to a product on your website or on a social page, such as an item or a service that someone else sells, many bigger named companies will provide you commission in return for any leads you send them (the people who go to that site from the link they clicked on). Think Amazon. If you are going to be recommending products to help others anyway, why not allow yourself to be given back to in return?

Amazon Affiliates is a great place to begin in the great wide world of affiliate sales.

#3 eproducts

Do you have a rags to riches story? Something you learned, and now know how to do and can share with others? If you’re a spiritual person, I know for *a fact* you have a come-up story within you. And other people want to learn from it what you learned. People will pay for your knowledge. When sharing it in a condensed way, you are still helping others and you don’t have to be directly present to give that help to them for it still have value. You can put it in an ebook, a recorded lecture series or a packaged group of video mentoring lessons.

To get started with this, look to your sessions - what are the most recent recurring themes? what types of questions do people ask you a lot and you then provide the information to . . . repeatedly? These are things that the Universe is already tell you need to exist. So make it exist!

#2 live classes

People want to learn what you know. This is why they book sessions with you in the first place! Why not work with a bunch of clients all at once and teach the spirit insight you get? It’s easy to teach others when you call down your Light and call upon your guides to help you channel out the information. Put together an online seminar using GoToMeeting.com or something similar. It’s not as hard as you think.

#1 recorded classes

Did you record that class you just offered? If not, put together an outline of one topic of material that your clients, commenters, and followers have asked you about recently. Get a voice recorder with stereo sound, and record yourself giving a lesson - and boom - an instant download training - created.

When you’re creating spoken or written products and teachings, you’re still tapping into Spirit as a medium, a healer and channel - and you will definitely have to, to create this stuff. So don’t worry about losing your personal touch - because your simply accessing that touch in a new, creative way.

All of the information I’ve provided in this post - I’ve used myself - and it works. It's true. You can make an income as an intuitive without having to struggle. Try implementing just one of these tips first and then go from there.

Symptoms of a Karmic Relationship: How To Know You're In One

A karmic relationship is a romantic bond that you form with someone in your soul group in order to heal the unhealthy patterns that have been formed in lives past.

Karmic relationships are the type of soulmate relationships that no one wants, but everyone has.

They’re difficult, emotionally taxing, abusive, controlling and manipulative.

you'll know you're in a karmic relationship if:

It’s starts hot and heavy, then escalates to on again/off again

It’s carnally driven - sex, emotions and violence (emotional/physical)

Offenses that hurt your feels are continually repeated without regard

You’ve tried to convince them why they should love you/stay with you

Your mood is strongly affected by the other person’s moods

Your karmic partner doesn’t listen to you or your feelings

You feel like you’re being used or manipulated

karmic bonds are formed with fireworks.

There are sparks in the air, it feels like love, you feel like you’ve known this person forever. Karmic partners will feel that you are their God and you owe them their happiness. They put you on a pedestal.

Yet, when you try to break it off, a karmic partner will say that they want the best for you, while at the same time, make every attempt to sabotage your happiness.

each person in the karmic relationship is in the relationship to break a pattern.

In a karmic relationship, both people come together to break a pattern that has transcended centuries.

We all have unhealthy patterns, ways of thinking and ways of viewing ourselves that we form in our lifetimes and in a karmic relationship, your partner is your mirror.

They help you realize through action what unhealthy pattern is being brought out in YOU.

karmic relationships teach love worthiness

Most karmic relationships come together because they are teaching one or the other person that they are worthy of meaningful, peaceful, joyful love.

Karmic relationships are the opposite of peaceful love - they are chaotic, violent, hot and heavy, emotional and stressful. This is because karmic relationships are fueled by centuries of passion and unhealed pain. It is through learning what true love is not, that the karmic partner can find what true love really is.

(through unhealed pain)

When you re-enter into a karmic relationship with a person from your soul group, pain is thrown all about - at the walls, at each other, at yourself. Pain is everywhere. As pain is expressed, old ties, soul bonds and contracts are brought to the surface, realized, and healed

For this reason, karmic relationships are an opportunity for you and your partner to heal what has not been healed in previous lifetimes, by teaching what to not put up with in real love.

you find real love through a karmic relationship

Most people will enter into a karmic relationship in the years prior to meeting their actual, real soulmate - not their karmic one - but the soulmate who is meant to be their life partner. The person who is going to value, love and respect you just for you comes after you heal a karmic bond.

Only after you have experienced a relationship filled with unhealthy karmic love, that is really control and manipulation, will you notice a relationship filled with actual love.

The first step to healing a karmic relationship is accepting and realizing that you are in one in the first place.

The next steps, are discussed in part 2 of this post:

Healing Karmic Relationships: Dealing with the Invisible Wounds

read on >>>

**Karmic relationships can be platonic, romantic or biologic, though this post series focuses on the romantic kind.

For this reason, karmic relationships are an opportunity for you and your partner to heal what has not been healed in previous lifetimes, by teaching what to not put up with in real love.

you find real love through a karmic relationship

Only after you have experienced a relationship filled with unhealthy karmic love, that is really control and manipulation, will you notice a relationship filled with actual love.

The first step to healing a karmic relationship is accepting and realizing that you are in one in the first place.

The next steps, are discussed in part 2 of this post:

Healing Karmic Relationships: Dealing with the Invisible Wounds

read on >>>

**Karmic relationships can be platonic, romantic or biologic, though this post series focuses on the romantic kind.

A karmic relationship is a romantic bond that is formed with someone in your soul group and it's a relationship designed to heal past life lessons and pain. Karmic relationships are the type of soulmate relationships that no one wants, but everyone has.

They’re generally challenging to say the least, and heartbreaking, to be more clear.

Signs you're in a karmic relationship include intense passion, obsessiveness, jealousy, negative feelings, control, substance abuse, selfishness, one-sidedness, emotional or physical abuse (LovePanky).

so, how do you heal from one considering you're ending one?

A karmic relationship is healed when one or the other person steps out of the cycle and grows spiritually.

When one of the karmic relationship partners (probably you, because you’re reading this right now), walks away from the bond completely - physically, energetically and psychically - the relationship is over and this initiates the first step of healing from that relationship.

To fully heal a karmic pattern relationship, you'll then have to take time to separate and look within to fully capture and process the lessons the relationship has taught you so you can move on to the next relationship more consciously.

If you jump into a new relationship immediately after getting out of a karmic bond, elements of the previous karmic patterns present it the former relationship will repeat themselves in the new relationship until the issues have been fully healed.

Jumping into a new relationship too soon after the closing of a karmic bond will indeed reopen aspects of the pattern cycle held with the previous partner.

Next, because your bond with this person is likely rooted in thousands of years of soul history, there is an energetic bond that links you and your karmic partner, in addition to a physical one, that needs to be addressed.

Moving away, ignoring texts and refusing to open your front door is not going to cut it this time. That doesn't fully work with karmic partners.

To fully close the bond and heal from a karmic relationship, you'll likely also need to do some energy work to fully release yourself into a new bond.

Cut your cords and call all your energy back - see this article by Carole Bourne for the second part - for 21 days each day and this will help reverse the affect the bond has had on you.

In serious cases, you may even need to perform a soul retrieval ceremony (I suggest Conscious Lifestyle Magazine's Article for more on what this is and why you may need it, it's more a shamanic thing) to regain all the aspects of your self that were lost in that relationship over the years so you can be fully present in yourself again.

This is all part of the process of healing from a karmic bond and many people go through this every year.

Good news is this:

You are bound to this person by only karma and once you heal the karma by learning the lessons for you, the karmic patterns presented by this person are over, for you, forever. (Karmic mission complete!)

If your former partner does not change, that's their karma, not yours.

You're not necessarily faulted by the Powers That Be because someone else has chosen to avoid their lessons. The pattern, for you, has ended for good.

So what is is the overarching benefit of having a karmic relationship in your life?

Second good news! Following the completion and healing from a karmic bond, many people meet their actual true love soulmates just after the final ending and healing of a karmic bond.

It's like the final test because the point of a karmic relationship is to show us unhealed karma in ourselves so that we can heal it, and thus, become more fully ourselves.

Once you heal from and overcome the final karmic test (the relationship), and you heal the pain you carry from it, thus, you open up fully to experiencing yourself and second thus, the love you truly deserve.

So regardless of which way you slice it, karmic relationships have meaning in our lives and while many of us have been through more than one, we just continue to build and take with us all those teachings with us to be wiser and improve for the next relationship.

Living A More Spiritual Life Can Attract Your Soulmate

You have a soulmate.

Someone who supports your dreams and loves you just for you.

Meeting your soulmate is all about finding the person who is the closest match to you on a soul level.

After years of searching, I finally met my soulmate when I quit my job, moved to a new state, and committed to living a more spiritual life. When I connected to who I was at the core of my soul, I was rewarded by meeting a true life partner. If you commit to connecting to your truest self, you’ll naturally meet your truest soul match, too.

When you walk your spiritual path, you’ll naturally attract your soulmate.

Here’s how:

5 Steps To Manifesting Your Soulmate

1. find out who you are

Your soulmate is the person who matches and aligns with your soul . . .exactly. To find and attract this person, you have to first unearth and connect with who you are at a soul level.

When you walk your spiritual path, you’ll naturally attract your soulmate.

Here’s how:

5 Steps To Manifesting Your Soulmate

1. find out who you are

Your soulmate is the person who matches and aligns with your soul . . .exactly. To find and attract this person, you have to first unearth and connect with who you are at a soul level.

Thinking about switching careers?

Have you been wishing to move?

Does your friend group no longer jive with you?

These are signs that your soul is calling you to make a change. Make the changes in your life that your soul is urging you to make and you’ll connect to a deeper meaning and your inner calling. We all have one and finding it is at the root of what your soul needs to be happy. As you begin to connect with your calling, you will naturally gravitate towards like-minded individuals, who are also following their soul calling. This will both put you in a place to meet your soulmate and as a bonus, your life will feel more fulfilled and complete - even before said soulmate arrives.

2. focus on your happiness

Living a more spiritual life is all about cultivating situations that bring you more peace, joy and excitement. Aligning with this, even before a soulmate arrives with assure that you too, are the person someone else is looking for in their ideal match.

Do more of what makes you feel happy and free, and say no to what doesn’t. As you do this, you will naturally connect to your more spiritual side. As you connect to what ignites your soul, you’ll become more buoyant, more approachable and people will naturally gravitate towards you. You will organically creating situations where you can meet souls of similar nature - both new friends and mates alike!

In this way, you’ll start aligning the stars to meet your spiritual mate.

3. explore and experiment

Finding out who you are on a soul level doesn’t come with an instruction book. Thank goodness, too! There are no laws that say that one thing should make you happy and another thing shouldn’t. Make your own rules.

Explore the options in your town, find classes at your local community center, join a book club and dine out to dinner with yourself once and awhile. Experimenting socially will bring you outside of your comfort zone and make it easier for you to connect with complete strangers - a skill you’ll need when Mr. or Ms. right eventually does come along.

4. define your needs

Living a spiritually aligned life simply means living in connection to what authentically makes you feel good. Now that you have aligned with and met some of your soul’s needs, you have a much better idea to what you are authentically looking for in a soulmate.

Make a list and write down what you want in an ideal partner, starting with the most important characteristics first - such as morality, loyalty and honesty. Take some time to actually define what your soulmate looks like to you, and what's important to you to have in a partner.

Think of it like this. If you told a salesman you were looking for the perfect refrigerator for your home, he would ask you, “Okay, what are your needs? How big is your space? How many people are you feeding?”

Without the key details of what perfect means for you, neither you nor anyone else will be able to spot it when it does come along.

5. be open

If you have never been presented with a soulmate before, it may be hard to tell what your soulmate actually looks and feels like.

When your needs are finally presented to you in an exact match, it’s normal to not immediately recognize that you’ve found what you’ve been searching for. You never know who your soulmate is going to be and chances are, they aren’t going to look like the person you envision.

Keep an open heart with who you meet, trust your gut and try not to dismiss anyone until you’ve gotten to know them first.

You really do never know.

A Psychic's Tips for Finding Your Soulmate

My significant other is my soulmate and my best friend and just an all around fun and goofy guy that I like to hang out with.

We met just weeks after I publicly announced my psychic business, and more than two years after I experienced one of the most devastating break-ups of my life.

In those two years prior to meeting him, I was completely single and alone. I lived in a Bachelorette pad, pursued my dreams, and figured out who I was - all the while, wallowing about not having someone who I could at least enjoy all of my fun, new experiences with.

Since I’ve found my soulmate and I regularly consult people on how to meet theirs -

I wanted to offer these tips to you on how to really, actually, for real, I'm serious, meet your soul mate.

6 Psychic Tips To Find Your Soulmate

don’t prove why you are lovable to anyone

If someone loves you, they love you.

If you find yourself convincing your partner why you are a good partner - chances are it’s not you that has the issue, it’s them. If they can’t see your beauty that’s a red flag. You need to find someone who does.

realize you are given ‘bad’ partners for a reason

We learn what we want in life, primarily by learning what we don’t want - first.

We learn by experiencing the contrast of what we want.

Having a string of poor partners doesn’t mean you’re bad at finding the right one or a failure at relationships (been there) - it could simply mean that you needed to identify all the things you didn’t want first, so that when the right one DOES come along - you have your checklist all ready to go and your soulmate is more easily spotted.

look at who resolves the fight, to determine if you're with the right person

Are you always offering the first olive branch of peace? I was, too.

Always being the first to make-up is a tell-tale sign the relationship is imbalanced and you are giving far more than you are actually receiving.

If your partner routinely waits for you to do the mending, it is time to move along.

look for equality in a mate

Love is about and equal balance of giving and receiving. All circumstances may not be equal, but overtime, the amount that you are receiving from your partner should be equal to how much you give.

Always helping your partner out with money while they sit on the couch?

Continually offering the creative ideas for their business, while no input or interest is offered on your own endeavors?

Finding your soulmate is about locating the person who balances you out - gives where you need to receive and receives where you need to give. If you’re doing it all - get out.

to find your soulmate, do some soul searching

Your soulmate is the person who is a match to your truest self.

Are you living in alignment with who that person is? Or are you working a job you hate and pretending to be a person you’re not?

That’s what I was doing before I met my significant other. It wasn’t until I took a cold hard look at who I was and realized I didn’t know that person, that I truly began my journey to meet my real soulmate.

Want to meet the person who matches your soul? Start finding out who you are as a soul, and as you unpeel the layers, you align closer and closer to the date of actually meet him/her.

ask the cards to stay on track

One of the things I have found that helps, is consulting the cards.

Buy an Oracle Deck that can be used to connect you to Divine Guidance at any time. (this one is my favorite).

Check-in on a weekly basis on what you need to be doing to move closer and closer to meeting your soulmate - you can stay on track with your soul path.

Working with Cards (even playfully) can help keep you in alignment with your true mission - finding the one who loves you back.

***

When it finally came time for me to meet him, I had done a weekly card reading for myself and for the first time ever - I pulled the soulmate card.

In disbelief, I obsessively pulled cards every day that week - and each time - the soulmate card appeared.

And then three days later, I met my guy.

This Is Why You Have to Walk Away From People Who Don't Support You

When you start opening up to be vulnerable - sharing your gifts and your true interests with others, it's important to have people around who value you and who have earned the right to hear your story.

Having a network of support is one of the most important thing that we all need to feel loved, accepted and OK to be ourselves.

As a psychic medium dealing with all the public stigmas and stereotypes swirling around about my authenticity and worthiness as a human - I know that finding this can be hard.

All this time absorbing what the public says about you and psychics at large, can make you feel like you aren’t worthy of acceptance if you aren't careful.

I’ve felt that. Many of my medium friends have felt that. And there’s likely not one medium on this Earth who hasn’t. When we question our own worth, this can lead us into building relationships with people who also doubt our worth.

A Personal Story:

In my 20s, I was in a relationship with a man who I thought I wanted to marry.

Three to four years into the relationship, I took a major chance.

I was starting to come to a place where I felt safe enough to share my true self, I figured it was a good time to start treading the water by sneaking in hints to him that I could see spirits (if you've read my blogs, you'll know I hid my abilities from everyone from teenage years on in an effort to be accepted - not healthy, but I did it).

after several really cool experiences with a coyote, i told him one evening that i believed coyotes to be my spirit animal.

Later that night, we got into a small argument about the trash.

During the fight, he pulled up an image on his computer. He turned to show me a Coyote, bloodied, mutilated and hanging upside down, turning to me to hiss and said, "This is what I think of your Spirit Animal!"

That was the day I nail-in-coffin made the decision to leave - but it wasn't until months later and tons of planning that I finally did it.

Something that I valued, had been deeply undervalued by another person - and I just couldn’t anymore. I couldn’t allow myself to stay in a relationship one more instant with someone who doubted the worth of the things I cared about.

it was 4 years later before i found someone who did value me.

Today, I have a beautiful man in my life who recently after a trip to a local Garden center where I bought a Gnome to represent one of my Spirit Guides, later that evening he said to me, "So, show me all your Spirit Guides!"

I proudly went around the home pointing out other figures I had purchased to represent different Guides. He genuinely wanted to know and I genuinely glad someone had finally asked.

I felt accepted. I felt loved. And I knew I had finally met the person that valued me the way that I had learned to value myself.

***

They’re out there - these people.

There are people who support you and deserve to hear your story - but they don't always have the room to come into your life until you walk away from those who don't.

How To Deal With Fair Weather Friends In The Spiritual Industry

November 15, 2016

How To Deal Fair Weather Friendships In Business

by amanda linette meder

So at this winery near my house, there's a sign right when you walk in that reads,

"We don't pay the bills on tastings, so please, buy a bottle!"

And I have to say, this always makes me laugh out loud because if every business entrepreneur, freelance engineer, life coach, tarot reader, or photographer I know could have one of these at their place of business, I bet they probably would!

When you run your own business, it can be hard to manage all the requests that come in for your attention. And with emails ever increasing, social media platforms growing, and the ways people can reach you just expanding - I've found that one of the most difficult things in business is making friends with others in my network.

Because others have questions about this sort of thing, too, today, I wanted to answer a reader submission about it. So shall we?

The Question

Hey Amanda!

I have a question. I’m a practicing psychic medium and I recently moved to a new area. After I settled in, I reached out to all the other intuitive practitioners (other healers, mediums, psychics, readers and so on) in the area to introduce myself and make friends. No one responded.

Fast forward to now. My website is way bigger and my social media numbers are much higher than they were before. Now, I’m seeing a few of these names pop back up again, reaching out to ask me to share their blog, mention their article, or even to collaborate on something. They didn’t want to be my friend then, so why now?

Amanda - What I want to know is this: why did no one in my field want to be my friend before, but now that I’m bigger, I can’t seem to keep them away?

Thanks for all your help! Look forward to hearing what you have to say!

- Anonymous

The Answer:

Hey Anonymous, and thank you for writing.

I can understand how this hurts. When I was first opening up my business, I can’t say I experienced it all too much differently. While I believe this is changing now, it is true that most psychic folks are guarded.

Many dealing with boundary issues themselves, chances are, you may not have even gotten through to them personally when you tried that first time.

Your e-mails/calls may have gone to a forwarding system or even to an outsourcing assistant.

So . . . it’s possible this isn’t a personal rejection thing - maybe more of a they just didn’t get the email thing.

However, if you have a suspicion they definitely did get the email/call and instead, just chose not to reply to you, I’m not gonna de-validate you there, because this is also possible.

But let me explain first.

Many psychics, especially those with online websites, spend so much of their time fending off inquiries for their attention to:

solve this crime or that

can you help me find my lost dog

tell me what you see in this photograph

scan this video or camera setting for me pro bono also right now please

what can you tell me about my house omgomgomg its an emergency rn thx

. . . that it can be hard for them to recognize a true friendship request when one is being made.

Think of it like this.

Someone holding a tennis racket on a court.

They’re sweating, bouncing back and forth on their toes, batting off balls left and right, as fast as they come.

The ball throwing machine is shooting tennis balls at them at rapid speed, and it's not stopping anytime soon.

Then, something unexpected happens.

A gold one, worth $1 million dollars, finally comes though that never ending fancy auto-ball-thrower machine, but it hits their racket and they react so fast, and so out of pattern really, that they don’t even know what they did!

Perhaps they do, and oh, do they regret it!

So yep, sometimes the psychic themselves, the staff, or the powers that be will just freak out and delete everything. Or maybe the messages you sent bounced to a box that never got checked, because forgetfulness, or because there simply wasn't enough hours in that day to do it all (is there ever?).

On top of that, if we're talking psychics here, most psychics, readers, and intuitives man their own offices, and these are largely under-staffed offices, to boot. So perhaps your note is still sitting wherever you left it, and no one has even seen it still.

Or maybe your email hit them when they weren't feeling good, or their harried, possibly over-caffed assistant accidentally deleted it, then never said anything about it, or the faulty email system they were using at the time (now fixed, hopefully) error coded your message by some weird mistake, all without even thinking about how much your message was potentially worth.

These things happen way more often than you might think.

So duh, to them and their system back then. They really missed out on a good thing coming through.

Perhaps you'd been great friends, or at least better friends than you are now, but either way, in the end, here's what I suggest - try to think about it like this:

Maybe it just wasn’t a good time for either of you to connect back then, but the Universe says it is now, so perhaps it’s worth giving the relationship a new try.

You coming back up into their energy field (you know, from being famous an all) was perhaps the reminder they needed to get back on the train of making friends with you, if it's still not too late.

Just make sure to touch base with how it feels for you first.

Amanda Linette Meder

www.amandalinettemeder.com

PS - Questions like these are answered in my Membership Program's social group - the Spirit Lounge - learn more here.

How to Stop A Negative Thought From Manifesting

How To Stop A Negative Thought From Manifesting

by amanda linette meder

In September 2016, I woke up suddenly after a clear, vivid dream of a friend of mine.

In the dream, she was living alone near a river, and her kids were seven or eight years older than they are now. But her husband was absent.

I'd walked in to help with lunch and found my friend somber, painting a healing mandala for herself, a project she was working on to process the grief and anger of her husband dying early from a sudden heart attack.

I woke up, briefly discussed what to do with my SO, and then called her.

Indeed, her husband had been struggling with high blood pressure and indeed, his uncle died at exactly the age her husband would've been in my dream, and yes, it was of an early heart attack.

So even though I'm a professional medium, dreams like this are rare.

Most of the time, thoughts, dreams or visions like these are just negative energy puffs coming into my energy field, a side effect of watching the news too late, spending too much time with the gossipy coworkers at the holiday party, or simply reflections of my own soul fears.

But since thoughts like these happen to all of us

, I wanted to take this morning to answer a reader question about them.

How You Can Stop Negative Thoughts From Manifesting

The Question

Hello, I stumbled across your blog a few times and wondered if you can help me with a question I have. It has to do with preventing negative thoughts from manifesting.

What if you continue canceling out a negative thought with a positive, but you come across an odd coincidence that could be associated with the negative thought even though you keep trying to cancel it out with its opposite?

I had a negative thought keep popping in my head that kept scaring me and then I would try to replace it with a positive immediately till it became almost OCD thinking.

This happened for a week, daily, until it subsided and I honestly thought I was going crazy because I kept thinking about it so much and trying to cancel it out. The more I pushed to not think the negative/unwanted thought it would come and then I would try to replace it with a positive. How do you prevent negative thoughts like this from manifesting if you may have seen a coincidence tied to it? I need to make sure it's erased from my subconscious, and I don't know how to do this. My beloved pet passed away right before these thoughts started

, so I think the depression and sadness of that caused me to have fearful unwanted thoughts of loss and no matter how much I tried to push them out they kept coming so I kept trying to replace them.

Is there anything I can do to make sure that negative thought is gone and only replaced with the positive?

Thank for your help, I haven't been able to find any answers on this.

Thank you!

- Ariana

The Answer:

Aside from these thoughts being the workings of a possible premonition, it is entirely natural to become flooded with the idea of another negative event happening to you, especially if one just has.

Your mind and your spirit will naturally want to review a series of worst case scenario events, just to make sure you know what to do when/if the time should arrive. This is so your spirit can feel prepared about when or if said event does happen. To heal it, I've found walking yourself through the worst case scenario event in full helps to release the thoughts of them from occupying your mind space.

What would you do if said negative thought should actually happen? Where would you go for help? What would life look like?

Why is this my fear?

Asking yourself these questions and perhaps even journaling back to the time when these thoughts began, can help you release them, put your mind back at ease, and clear the worry.

After you do this, clearing your energy may be necessary to fully remove the thought from cycling through your system.

With particularly sensitive people, especially since our auras a mutable and changeable, it's easy to absorb the thoughts, worries, and fears of others in our energy fields. What I am saying these may not even be your fears or thoughts, but someone else's who is around you. If you work in a helping field - such as in customer service, in a caregiving role, as a mentor - the absorption of other people's energy can get magnified to the point where it can become crippling.

So I recommend regular energy clearing. I have a few meditations in the Member's Meditation Library that can help with this like cord cutting, chakra scrubbing, and energy cleansing. You may want to try closing down your chakras, too, before going around certain people who are known negative thought triggers (yes, I also have a meditation for this too in the Member Meditation Library).

Closing down y

10 Ways to Tell a Spirit is in Your Home

By Amanda Linette Meder Psychic Medium

If you think there may be a Spirit in your home, there probably is.

And while most of the time, this individual is more likely to be a deceased Loved One, such as your grandfather, than anyone else, you may still be wondering how to tell when you are being visited by someone from the Other Side.

Those in Spirit really aren’t all that far away, as all that separates us and them is a thin, permeable veil, and because of this, they can easily visit, stop by or stay for a while, if they like.

Think you might have a Spirit visitor in your house? There are many ways to tell when your home is sharing a space with a Spirit.

Here’s a few of them.

10 Ways To Tell A Spirit Is In Your Home

movement

Those in Spirit can move things using the shift (change) of energy created by their presence in a space. If you see things move, things are misplaced, you see cabinets, toys, windows and doors moved - untouched by physical hands - a Spirit may be responsible for this.

noise

Those in Spirit can make noises by opening and shutting doors, windows and cabinets, dropping objects by pushing them, or by moving their energy throughout the house, such as by pressing it down on the floor boards, to create the sound of walking or creaking.

electrical activity

Those in Spirit use energy to operate, appear and move about in the Physical world, just as we use energy to operate in the physical world (eating, sleeping, drinking, exercising). By manipulating energy, they can affect electrical objects to get our attention.

If lights are turning on and off in your home,

If your television is changing channels, turning on and off,

If you are receiving odd texts and phone calls from unknown numbers on your telephone,

these are all positive signs of a Spiritual influence.

air

Changes in air pressure, such as a heaviness to a room, a sudden coldness or heat is a sign more energy and matter is has been added to a space, and if you don’t see something or someone come into your physical space, it’s likely something unseen has stepped into your spiritual space.

pets

Your cats, dogs or birds growl, or make noise at something, or their attention or drawn suddenly, or to a certain area of your home. If an animal normally acts a certain way when a new person enters a room, then they do that certain thing, sans person, there’s a good chance you’ve got a Spirit who has just stepped in.

children

If a child has told you they see someone in the house, there is someone in the house. Children usually have a keen ability to see and sense those in Spirit, as it’s something that we are born with and culturally conditioned out of, later on. Read more about a child’s ability to see Spirit here.

seeing shadows

There are many ways to see those in Spirit, but seeing those in Spirit as a shadow is the most common way to see them. Learn more about this here.

feeling someone is watching you

If you feel like someone is watching you, yet when you turn around, no one is behind you, there’s a good chance someone is watching you. Except, they may not have a physical body. Usually, it’s a little more intricate than your mind just playing tricks on you.

feeling someone has touched you

Same principle. Those in Spirit can touch you, run into you and come close to you, just as those with physical bodies can. You can sense their presence and I’ve written a lot about how to do this, check out these articles here and here.

hearing whispering, talking, humming or mumbling

If you are clairaudient, even unknowingly (up to this point, at least), you may hear whispers, talking, humming or mumbling. Often, the muffled voices are the voice of Spirit, and may clairaudient hear those in Spirit as if listening while underwater, through a wall or off in the distance.

The voice of Spirit, when heard externally, often sounds far away, at first.

How ToIf you’ve experienced any one of these above situations, it’s likely there’s a Spirit in your home and if you’ve experienced more than one, the possibility simply increases from there.

now that you’ve had a chance to review this list, you may now be wondering,

what is the point of all of this?

And perhaps the more important question is, who would go to all of this trouble to be noticed by you?

The point and purpose of all this activity is to get your attention. Spirit, is pretty good at being invisible, so when they set the intention to be noticed, it’s a purposeful act (usually). Most of a time, a Spirit in your house is not a random entity or someone/thing out to get you, it’s a Loved One, an Ancestor, a Guide or an Angel who wants to deliver a message to you.

And many times, that message is -

Hey, I’m here still. Just hoping you would notice.

Say hello next time, or if you are open to it, you can investigate into it further by seeking a medium or a paranormal team. Want it to stop? Tell them so, by talking to your Spirit person, like a regular human, out loud. Usually, there’s no need for a special ritual, once an honest, face to face conversation is had.

Find out how to talk to a Spirit here.

Or how to set boundaries with them, here.

With love,

The Imposter Syndrome and How It Can Influence Your Growth -

Tell If A House, Apartment Or Rental Is Haunted Before You Sign The Lease

You watch any home hunting today and there's always someone talking about how all they want is a home with no ghosts.

Any home at all, they say, just one that's ghost free, is all they ask.

It's a simple request.

Just something clean of germs, noisy neighbors... and ghosts.

Can it be done?

Can we truly have it all?

When buying, renting or leasing home even on wildlands, keep in mind that it may not have always been wild.

Every place has a history.

Colin Dickey, author of Ghostland: An American History of Haunted Places, asserts that there are simply ghosts everywhere.

And I agree.

Why?

Evidence of human populations existing upwards of 10,000 years ago in so many locations and where ever you have human history, you have the potential of encounter what they've left behind, including ghosts.

Despite the fact that because there is history everywhere, and likewise there are ghosts everywhere, you can find a place that is relatively spirit-free or at the very least, if it does have spirits, you can assure they're positive and capable of getting along with.

If you can get along with good neighbors, you can get along with good ghosts.

So let's clarify.

When people say they want ghost-free what they really mean is "I don't want no demons."

And you can have that.

That's a reality. You can definitely have no demons.

It's like saying you want a house that's free of termites and black mold - it can be done.

From someone who has moved a ton in their life and likewise, is a professional medium that works with other mediums to create a more ethical ecosystem for our field.

We're here to help.

5 tips for finding a place that is spirit-free

#1. to find a place that is spirit-free or at least spirit-positive, pay attention to how it feels when you walk in.

Most spirits will hide when new homeowners or renters come looking because they don't want to be forced to leave, so what this means is you won't necessarily see a spirit, sense one or even be able to pick one up on an electromagnetic field reader during your first visit to a property or even during your final run through.

But -

They will leave evidence of themselves behind.

This is what is called residuals in the field.

Ever seen the movie

Beetlejuice?

Specifically, pay attention to the characters that play the deceased couple to see what I'm talking about here.

Most of what you'll see here specifically in relation to the deceased couple's (the ghosts in the movie) actions is accurate. It may be Hollywood, but the stories on screen do come from somewhere.

Okay back to it.

You don't need me and you don't need a specialized medium to sense residuals.

You don't even need any special tools.

You just need yourself.

Or just ask any woman who's had to walk home alone at night more than once, any wildlife hunter used to pick up on subtle changes in energy in his or her environment, or someone ex-military, anyone at all with a keen sense of street or extra sensory awareness.

Then sit back, and pay attention to their reactions to the place, if you don't trust your own.

If it feels grimy, cold and weird, guess what - the current residents are likely reflections of that.

If it feels bright, open airy and swells your heart with joy - guess what, that's what the current energy of the place represents and if you would have spirits, you can bet they'll most likely be the friendly sort.

If a person, perhaps a child, mentions any visions or dreams they've had before, during or after visiting a house, also, pay attention to these.

While you may not see or sense any ghosts while touring the home (because they won't want to be forced to leave or maybe they like you and are hopeful you'll move in, so they want to make a good impression), the energy of their residuals can be trusted. (More on how to tell the differences between these energies here).

So pay attention to the home's initial feeling when you walk in.

If it feels clean, it probably is.

If it feels weird and cold, it probably is.

And perhaps for more reasons than just a lack of heating.

#2. try to focus more on finding a positive place to be in rather than whether or not it has ghosts.

I hate to compare ghosts to beneficial bacteria of the gut, but let's do.

When we talk gut bacteria, it's not about getting rid of all bacteria in the body, it's more about making sure you're free of most of the ones that can do damage and full of the ones that do a good job helping you.

Most of the time, your interaction with humans and feelings, sensations, and aftermaths they've left behind is going to be unavoidable.

Same with spirits.

Same with insects.

Same with beneficial bacteria of the body.

There are just some things that we as humans must learn to co-exist with and understand that we can not only live peacefully with but that it doesn't have to be dangerous and perhaps it can even be fun.

But -

Just as you can cultivate healthy gut bacteria, you can also cultivate a healthy spiritual environment and for best results, you'd start with a place where that has already been started for you.

If you're focusing on selecting a home where this has already been started for you (#1), then good - you're not working at a disadvantage and instead, you're working at an advantage.

You don't exactly need a plot of land free of insects, nor is that even always reasonable, but you can cultivate an environment that is more welcoming to the friendly kind than it is to the biting kind. (More on how to attract these types of spirits to your home here).

Positive spirits, like matrons of the home, women, and caretakers who have previously cared for a place, can be a good influence on you and your family's life.

Some spirits can be an asset rather than a liability, is what I'm saying.

Positive influencing spirits are the types of spirits that will wake you up if you fell asleep with a candle on, give you the idea to turn around when you left for vacation with the propane tank running, or they'll watch your kids to alert you of trouble in the other room.

I know it's weird, but -

Spirits can be a help, not a burden.

Television shows unfortunately really don't focus on this aspect of ghost living.

Quite honestly, it's because people who live with their spirits peacefully are, well, largely uninteresting.

Because they're peaceful.

By and large, the media focus is only on the ones causing a stir, thus, we tend to have a heightened awareness of that particular type, which isn't bad (it's important to be aware of a potential threat) just... it's also important you're aware there is a good type, too.

And this type more frequently populates a place going both unnoticed and under-appreciated.

This Blog on Body Spirituality

The world's religions encourage us to view the body as a reliable companion, as a capable mediator of our experience in the world, as a wise teacher, as a vehicle for transformation, and as a temple of God. Jews regard the body and the soul as being inextricably linked, and Christians emphasize the incarnation of the sacred in human flesh. Hindus celebrate the body as a vessel for salvation, while both Buddhists and Taoists practice healing arts which attend to the breath and energy lines in the body. Native Americans and some primal religions consider the body's movement in dance to be a form of prayer. Body arts of massage, yoga, and tai chi – ways of practicing attention and listening to the body – are for many people spiritual practices.

How do we acknowledge the sacred quality of our bodies? For starters, we can exercise regularly, eat healthy food, enjoy sensuous and sexual experiences, and simply relax. We can also reframe such challenges as illness as ways of connecting to our bodies. In the words of cancer survivor Marc Ian Barasch in The Healing Path: "Disease and healing are not just physiological processes. They are spiritual detonations."

This blog will consist of spiritually literate readings of the body as well as many other subjects. My approach here will be in line with the body's definition in this favorite quote from Eduardo Galeano in Walking Words:"The Church says: The body is a sin.

Science says: The body is a machine.

Advertising says: The body is a business.

The body says: I am a fiesta."

Please join me to ponder, celebrate, and reverence the manifold wonders of practicing spirituality with our body

My Feet

"There are so many things that can provide us with peace. Next time you take a shower or a bath, I suggest you hold your big toes in mindfulness. We pay attention to everything except our toes. When we hold our toes in mindfulness and smile at them, we will find that our bodies have been very kind to us. We know that any cell in our toes can turn cancerous, but our toes have been behaving very well, avoiding that kind of problem. Yet, we have not been nice to them at all. These kinds of practices can bring us happiness."

– Thich Nhat Hanh in For the Love of God edited by Benjamin Shield and Richard Carlson

I must confess that I have not been very kind to or appreciative of my feet. As a young and scattered boy, I was always rushing here and there without watching where I was going. I repeatedly stepped on rusty nails and had to have tetanus shots.

When I was a teenager, I battled a severe case of acne on my face, and so I ignored all my other body parts. Of course, the suburban culture which formed me had nothing good to say about feet. Parents were urged to have their children change their socks and not to let them go barefoot. The adjectives must often used to describe feet? Sweaty. Smelly.

Better ones would be amazing, wondrous. The foot is a masterwork of complexity with 26 bones, 111 ligaments, and 20 muscles. Leonardo da Vinci called it "a masterpiece of engineering." I like Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh's tender treatment of his toes. I have been fondling my toes ever since I came across the passage quoted above. My feet have been behaving well over the years.One of the ways I give them a treat is by going to my massage therapist, Mary Lo, and having her share her special gifts of reflexology. This ancient healing art from Egypt, China, and Japan is the practice of applying pressure to specific points on the feet to influence the well-being of corresponding parts of the body. It's a gentle art, a holistic tool, and it feels really good.

Far from being just sweaty and smelly appendages, my feet provide a mini-map of my whole body! They deserve a regular spiritual practice of their own. Here is one provided by Jan Philips in her book Divining the Body: Reclaim the Holiness of Your Physical Self:

"Try to do this every day, before you get dressed in the morning or before you go to bed at night: rub lotion into your feet, massaging them one at a time, thinking of nothing but your feet. Think of every tendon and muscle, every cell and atom, every nerve and blood vessel. Massage each toe, one at a time, thanking every part of your feet for the ways they have stood by you, grounded you, and moved you through your days."

Walking as a Spiritual Practice

"Perhaps the truth depends on a walk around the lake," Wallace Stevens once said. I'd make that a "walk around the city." I love to walk and have made it a daily part of my spiritual practice. Mary Ann and I don't own a car, and we live in New York City where you don't need one. I can walk almost every place I need to go.

When I am moving down the street, I say my mantra and my mind is cleared for the sensory delight of the city and its abundant stimulation in sights, sounds, and smells. Walking for me is a devotional path that leads through body to Spirit. Of course it is much more as well.

Most physicians recommend 30 minutes of brisk walking every day as a prescription for healthy living and mental clarity. In Surprises Around the Bend: 50 Adventurous Walkers, Richard Hasler, a a Presbyterian minister, includes tributes to this discipline by physicians and naturalists, poets and novelists, politicians and teachers, pilgrims and seekers, prophets and social reformers.

We learn in these pages that Henry David Thoreau felt transformed while sauntering through the natural world. Throughout his lifetime, Carl Jung was an avid walker. William and Dorothy Wordsworth were companion walkers who shared their innermost feelings with each other. Taking a stroll was a regular part of poet Wallace Steven's daily activities, and James Michener included "quiet rambles" in his regimen. Dorothy Day prayed while she walked.

Julia Cameron, a contemporary writer, recommends a regular walk to revive the creative process. In The Sound of Paper, she says a walk both opens us up and feeds us:

"Try this. Nothing invites creative breakthroughs so successfully as walking. Even a twenty minute Walk is long enough to fling open the inner door to insight and inspiration. Take a twenty-minute Walk. Take note: What ideas come to you? What insights, inspirations, and realizations? We speak of a body of knowledge, and walking gives us exactly that. We embody far more than we often allow ourselves to contact. Walking puts us in touch."

A Mini-Map of My Hands

You can tell quite a bit about a person's life and personality by looking at their hands. I have often thought but never said aloud that my hands are one of my best features. When we were living in New York City for only a few months, a friend of mine from a publicity agency asked me if I would be willing to be featured in an advertising campaign for The New York Times. I said yes since I was an avid reader of the newspaper. Everything went smoothly as they photographed me in various poses. But the one I liked most was of my hands, resting and totally at peace.

I grew up as a boy in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and liked to play baseball with improvised bats. One day I picked up a piece of wood with a nail on it and swung at the ball sending a nail through my middle finger. A friend of the family drove me to the hospital with the board sticking out the window. The scar remains as a sign of my bad habit of rushing through things without paying attention.

There are other signs of my life in the dexterity of my hands which came to the fore through four years of a summer job at a drive-in fast food place where I regularly was required to pick up four garbage containers and lug them to an incinerator in the back of the lot. My hands served me well and since then have never had to perform such physically exhausting labor.

One of the signs of my career as a writer is the callous formed on my third finger by decades of having a pen pressing on it as I wrote rough drafts of articles and reviews and took notes of movies in dark screening rooms. I embrace this mark as a sign of my perseverance and my love of providing resources for those on a spiritual journey. Or as Pierre Teilhard de Chardin wrote: "In our hands, the hands of all of us, the world and life – our world, our life – are placed like a host, ready to be charged with divine influence."The final sign of my life in my hands is a permanently bent pinkie which is the result of a bad fall that was broken by my resourceful and courageous little finger. Now as I approach my seventieth birthday I look at my hands and see they are covered with brown spots. I thank God for these beauty marks which bring to mind the glory days of sunbathing and being completely at rest.

Lost in a reverie, I fold my hands together in silence and send them my best blessing. In response, they reach out for another book and my fingers eagerly do what they have done for so long and so faithfully –

My Shoulders: Issues in the Tissues?

When I was a teenager I remember being told by my parents and other adults to stand up straight. But my shoulders were already rounded and my chest caved in as if I were hiding.

Jonathan Fields, a yoga teacher, has called the way in which thoughts and feelings get locked into the body "holding our issues in our tissues."

A very clever turn of phrase. It got me thinking about the past.

In my youth I was very thin. The neighbors used to worry about my well-being when I sat in the backyard sun-bathing. Instead of shoulder muscles to show off like other adolescents in my class, my gift to the world was a predominant rib cage. No wonder I was always chosen last in supervised sports competitions. After so many rejections, my shoulders were permanently tucked in for fear of another attack.

Despite the weakness and lack of balance in my body, I shouldered the responsibility of preaching at local churches as a teenager. I felt called to this ministry at an early age and have not slowed down over the long stretch of years. The slump of my shoulders has not stopped me from fulfilling my purpose: providing resources for those on a spiritual journey.

Some veteran readers of body language claim that slouched posture indicates being weighed down and overwhelmed by the burdens of responsibility. At times, I do feel the stress, but I also can see my posture as a sign of my surrender to God that provides me with the energy and the perseverance to carry on.

I occasionally throw my shoulders back, standing upright and poised.

It feels good. But I am still much more exhilarated as I hunch down in front of my computer or slouch in a chair reading a book. I no longer get myself bent out of shape thinking about the issues in my tissues. And best of all, my keen sense of mission and the joys of responsibility provide a firewall against future fears of the sad stoop of the body in old age. Shoulders, I love you just the way you are!

My Skin

Although there is very little poetry about the skin and its amazing capacities, there are plenty of references to this large organ in jargon.

We speak of some people as "thick-skinned" and able to take criticism

whereas others are "thin-skinned" and overly reactive to what people think or say. When a person is insensitive to human feeling, s/he is called "callused." And there is a world of difference between someone who is a "soft touch" versus someone who has a "magic touch."

Over the years I have been aware of my skin and its messages about me that it conveys to the world. In my youth, it seemed to dictate my persona as a lonely teenager when I tried to cover up the acne on my face, when I dabbed away the oil from my forehead before appearing in public, and when I turned red with embarrassment if singled out by my peers for criticism.

As an adult, I tuned in to my skin when I carelessly burned my feet in the Caribbean sun on our honeymoon and when I later slathered my body with orange suntan lotion in quest of the perfect bronze tan. My skin produced plenty of good sweat when I regularly worked out on a treadmill. My skin conveyed health and vitality. And then when I moved into middle age, I discovered it too had changed; I had dry skin.

Recently I've discovered new things in my skin. I've found lines and wrinkles and brown spots; I now regularly cover my head when I am outdoors. I have realized how much I love revving up my brain every time I get the shivers or "goose bumps" while watching a movie. And when I see my face in the mirror and the sagging flesh in my neck and abdomen, it doesn't bother me one bit that my skin's message to others is that I, Fred, have "come of age" in my seventieth year.

I thank you skin for all the marvels and wonders you perform for my benefit and well-being. May I never be indifferent to you. I am so grateful that you have taken such good care of me.

Da Nose Knows

The comedian Jimmy Durante had a large nose and used to make jokes about it. "Da nose knows," he said and I believed it. We ramble through the world smelling things and being attracted or repelled by them. When I was a teenager, I worked in a fast food restaurant where I was exposed to many foul odors; three of the worst were rotten eggs, and fish and chicken that had gone bad.

I have never had a very acute sense of smell, certainly not compared to my wife's or mother's. Scientists researching this area have discovered that women have a keener olfactory sense than men do. But women can't hold a candle to dogs whose sense of smell is extraordinary. Naturalist Diane Ackerman has written that whereas a human being has 5 million olfactory cells, a sheepdog has 220 million. As a result, they can smell 44 times better than we can.

We are able to discern over 10,000 different odors. What an abundance of choices to savor and enjoy. Here are some of the smells that I love:

vanilla, peppermint, and lavender

freshly mown grass

popcorn

an evergreen tree

the outdoors after rain

sweet pipe tabacco

rosewater

One of the chief pleasures of my weekly massage is my therapist's use of scented oils on my body. There are few other places where you can have this sacred experience of relaxation, healing, touch and pleasure all within an atmosphere of delightful fragrances.

Given my love of rosewater, I appreciate the Sufi ritual of spraying it on the wrists of guests as they arrive in your home. It is a sign of hospitality and an act of simple kindness. To me, it is also a reminder that we often happen upon faith like a certain fragrance that catches our attention. No wonder so many religious traditions include smells in their liturgies.

This beautiful Persian proverb sums up the spiritual potentials of smell as a transformative gift that can be given to others:

"The world is a rose, smell it and pass it on to your friends."

The Altar of My Ears

Many early cultures viewed the ears as the seat of wisdom but I prefer to follow W. H. Mathieu and regard my ears as an altar. Through these remarkable organs with the three tiniest bones in the body, I take in the sacred in the world around me. I rejoice in the sounds of bells, trains in the distance, bird song, Beethoven's symphonies, a cat's meow, and the whispered affirmations of love. Hearing is the first sense to appear and the last sense to go when we are dying.Each day, sounds roll in like waves vying for our attention, and we can pick and choose what to ignore or what to embrace. As a boy I loved that moment in a movie when the hero put his ear to the ground to hear what was approaching from a distance. As a young man, I thrilled to the loud noises in sports stadiums, concert halls, and theatres. One could hear the rumble and tumble of emotions sweeping through these places of high energy and unfolding excitement.

But the older I get, the more I appreciate silence. We live in the noisy city of New York which is constantly being rebuilt; its birth pangs are the sounds of demolition trucks grinding away all day. In my birth family, my two sisters and I have ear problems: I have an abundance of ear wax which needs to be extracted every four months; one sister lost her hearing in her left ear as an infant, and my other sister is plagued by repeated infections in her ears.

The emerging field of sound therapy is demonstrating the role of various tones and rhythms in healing. When I was hospitalized years ago for a major operation, I came to rely heavily on the music of Robert Gass as a healing medicine for my body and soul. My ears became an altar as my spirits were lifted by the melodic chants of his singers, On Wings of Song.

Many wisdom traditions emphasize music and singing as a form of prayer and an opening of the heart. I have made an altar in my ears for the Sufi practice of song as "food for the soul" and for kirtan, a call-and-response chanting that quiets the mind and heals the heart. These forms of devotional music have helped me forget myself and learn to be more expressive of my love of God.

Sound is within us and all around us but we have to become more focused to hear these marvels. When Merton, one of our cats, perks up his ears at the slightest sound, I realize how important it is to listen with total attention to what others are saying to me. The Greek sage Epictetus had it right a very long time ago when he observed: "God gave man two ears, but only one mouth, that he might hear twice as much as he speaks."

Me and My Throat

I loved to sing as a young boy and at age 12 was already a member of the senior choir at our Lutheran church in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. All of the religions of the world bless song as a marvelous gift of God. Dina Soresi Winter has poetically written:"It is important that we sing. . . . Singing frees the soul, makes it flexible, and helps it soar and expand. Singing lets the sun in – gives warmth to our lives and wings to our spirit. Those who sing know this."

The throat serves as the passageway between the heart and the head. When fear, anxiety, or negativity affect this body part, the energy flow between the head and the heart is blocked. The spiritual act of singing unclogs the throat and allows free passage of the emotions. We've learned this from traditional Chinese medicine.

Many years ago I was told by a Jewish mystic, healer, and imagery teacher to go home and do more singing. I realized when she gave me this assignment that I had for many years not been singing enough. I used to listen to tapes with headphones and sing or hum along (much to the amusement of my companions). But even that practice had dropped off. Now I am recommitting to taking time to sing. I've begun listening to monastic chanting and kirtan; once again loud humming can be heard coming out of my office.

My throat is home to my voice-box. When I preached in churches, parishioners used to tell me they sometimes disagreed with what I said but at least they could hear me. Near the end of her life, my 102-year-old mother asked me to recite the Lord's Prayer for her every night over the telephone. She told me how proud she was of my strong voice.

But here in New York City, it is another story. People at stores constantly ask me to repeat my order or to speak up. I remember my father complaining when he was 90-years old that the worst thing about aging is the loss of your voice and the lack of respect that is given you by younger people.

In books about health and healing, I have learned about the throat as the fifth chakra and communication center. An imbalance in this emotional spot can lead to arrogance, excessive talking, lying, manipulation of others or timidity. A healthy throat chakra leads to an honest and fruitful expression of oneself.Where does that leave me at this point in my life? More singing and a more firm resolve to speak up and speak out. And for a spiritual practice, I can use this one from Edward Hays from his Prayer Notes to a Friend:

"The Koran says that God is closer than the vein in your neck. What a beautiful invitation to pray. In fact, it suggests a new way to pray. Begin by placing your first and second fingers on your throat's jugular vein. Linger there as your feel the vigorous throbbing of life within you. Praying with your fingers on your jugular vein can be a sensual affirmation that God is not distant or remote but is pulsating within you. . . . Besides being an excellent preface to any prayer, this tactile throat prayer gesture is useful whenever you are in need of God's presence."

Ankles and Wobbling

I remember with pleasure striding down the street as a young man filled with energy and nothing on my mind except reaching the place I was going to with speed and graceful movement. In New York City, I could zigzag across intersections and avoid traffic lights for ten blocks or more. Certainly I never considered the stress I was putting on my ankles by constantly moving so fast and so heedlessly down the streets.

Then one day my stride was broken as my right ankle twisted and I tumbled to the pavement in pain and disbelief. I took a cab home and immediately applied cold ice packs to my swollen ankle. Wayne Winnick, a chiropractor and sports doctor, told me that ankles are the most commonly injured body part – some eight million people sprain an ankle each year. Many will go on to injure the same ankle in the future, as it becomes weak from the injury.

In order to avoid this fate for my ankle I took a six-week treatment program involving rather painful deep tissue massage. The idea, which seemed counter-intuitive at the time, was to break up any scar tissue that might form so that the ankle would be stronger and more flexible for the future. It worked. I have not sprained my ankle again.

This injury and its long recuperative process convinced me not to continue viewing my ankle as a small and minor body part. After all, it plays an important role in helping me stand upright, walk and run. Since the collapse of my ankle I have slowed down my walking pace and have paid more attention when stepping off a curb and negotiating uneven stretches of pavement. I have also given up fantasies of wind-surfing and water skiing. (Maybe in another lifetime.)

I've learned something else too. It's best to be pro-active about body work. Now I'm practicing standing on one leg to improve my balance and tell my ankle I still need it. My intention is not to wobble. I recall the advice of Zen master Ummon who said: "If you walk, walk! If you sit, sit! Just don't wobble, whatever you do!" This good advice combines the body and spirituality.

My Hair - The Long & Short of It

"Hair is powerful to the Algonquin," according to Evan T. Pritchard who has written extensively about the traditions of these Native American people. "It collects the vibrations of the energies around you and is important to purify carefully. Hair also holds the smell of the smoke a long time. This is part of why native people don't cut their hair."

In the sacred dances of Sufi dervishes in Kurdistan, worshippers enter into a trance state tossing their long hair back and forth over their heads. Thich Nhat Hanh, a Zen master, challenges us to see the hairs on our heads as "ambassadors of truth"; he counsels us to observe them well to discover the messages each hair is sending us.

Throughout human history men and women have cut, trimmed, shaped and styled their hair not only for religious purposes but to express their character, conformity, or social rebellion. Over the years I have alternated between a crew-cut and longer hair; during one period I had a ponytail. When my hair was short I did not have to spend time grooming it. This style also made it possible for me to blend into the crowd.

When my hair was long I always felt more energy and creativity and I found it easy to identify with the big haired men and women of the revved-up musical Hair. For the wildest mop of hair seen on the screen for a long time, watch Brave, an animated feature whose young heroine's red-hair is nothing short of flamboyant.

We reveal a lot about ourselves through our hair styles as I discovered years ago when I was leading a youth conference for some Lutheran churches. At the time I was wearing my long hair combed straight back over the crown. A concerned man approached me and told me that I was putting a roadblock in my presentation by looking arrogant. I asked him what specifically bothered him about my appearance and he responded, "It's the way you are flaunting your receding hairline." This caused me to look more closely at the hair style of my earnest adviser. He had taken the little hair he had left from the top of his head and brushed it down over his brow. The hair styles of both of us spoke loudly.

Now my hair is neither long nor short. I am bald and in no need of inventive cutting or coloring. I feel proudly connected and grateful to the shiny-pated men on my mother's side of the family. When I had gray hair I never wanted to hide it from others even though I agreed with the Greek proverb, "Gray hair is a sign of age not of wisdom."

So there you have it: a brief history of my hair - both the long and the short of it. I now identify with the Buddhist monks from the East whose bald heads signify a simple life of devotion and service of others.

Smiling as Mouth Yoga

How we marvel at the delightful smile of an infant; there's little we won't do to win another one! As we grow older the act of smiling changes into a complex nonverbal interchange; a smile is part of our body's expressive equipment. There are all kinds of smiles from the buoyant one of a contented and centered person to the frozen one of a television newsperson to the decorous one of a socialite at a party to the sublime smiles on the death masks of saints.

Spiritual writer Edward Hays observes that "a smile is a facial message of friendliness, delight, satisfaction, and amusement." It is a positive expression of the life force within us and an antidote to physical and mental exhaustion. The ancient wisdom tradition of Taoism lauds "the inner smile" and challenges us to use it to repair and rejuvenate our stressed out bodies and minds.

I can't count the number of times that someone restored me with a bright and healing smile. One of the most enthusiastic teachers of the spiritual practice of smiling is the Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh. He calls it "mouth yoga." I have used this vow first thing in the morning and found it got my day off to a very good start:

"Waking up this morning, I smile.

Twenty four new hours are before me.

I vow to live fully in each moment."

Waking up with a smile on my face is something I aspire to do as I grow older. A few years back, Mary Ann and I had our picture taken for the page about us on this website. The photographer, a neighbor, usually does the portraits actors use in their "books." She had quite a few tricks to getting a natural and spontaneous look. As was her custom, she took several rolls of us from different angles. When we got the contact sheets back, Mary Ann had many different expressions throughout the shoot, including some that didn't look like her at all! But all my pictures were pretty much the same. There I sat with my small Buddha smile — the fruit of all those years of equanimity practice.

Thich Nhat Hanh puts it succinctly: "Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy." I think of that when I pass smiling people on the streets of New York; their radiance makes me feel like I'm in the presence of angels. And I smile back at them with my Buddha half-smile, hoping that they can see my joy in return.

My Teeth: Floss and Pray

In her little prayer book Grace on the Go, Barbara Bartocci mentions a dentist who said: "Every day has two important things: floss and pray." She took this lesson to heart and since then has used flossing and brushing her teeth as a time to ask for the grace to speak words of kindness and love. Although I have a disciplined and rewarding prayer life, I have not fared so well with regular care for my teeth and gums.

It all started when I was 12. My dentist said I had too many teeth for my small jaw and so I had some removed at the hospital. After this dramatic intervention, he decided to straighten my crooked teeth with his own unique system of braces. Although I did not appreciate the pain involved, I definitely looked forward to each visit in order to see the dentist's beautiful receptionist whose cheerful smile lit up the dreary office.

Much to my shock and dismay, the dentist walked out on his wife, his children, and his practice and moved to the Caribbean with his receptionist. Afterwards, no one could figure out what he was doing to my teeth! And so to this day, cleaning over and around my still crooked teeth is a challenge. Whereas I brush once a day with my electric toothbrush, I have been told to brush at least twice a day. I prefer tending to my gums with a rubber tipped instrument but have been ordered to floss three times a day instead.

Considering all the time and energy I already expend on my teeth, I am grateful that I haven't had many cavities, and I don't grind my teeth at night. I don't drink tea or coffee so have no stains and have not bothered with treatments to whiten my teeth. I plan on keeping these teeth for the rest of my life. My parents both kept theirs but it cost them an arm and a leg to do so with no dental insurance.

Meanwhile, I am thankful that my crooked teeth have become a spiritual teacher for me, prodding me to greater discipline and perseverance. Now pardon me, it's time to floss and pray.

A New Regimen for My Body's Sake

I am so focused on my work that I often show great disrespect for my body and the food I eat. I miss out on the spiritual riches of eating mindfully. My attitude around most meal times is "Let's just get this over with so I can get back to my computer and things that matter." For a long time, Mary Ann and I ate at the dining room table beginning the meals with grace and adding a touch of beauty with candles. But over the years, we abandoned that practice. Now we have gotten into the bad habit of eating dinner in the living room while watching television.

We have vowed to start a new regimen where eating dinner is an important part of our spiritual path. We agree with the Zen masters who all say: "When eating just eat." It is imperative that we take the time to enjoy and savor the fresh food in front of us. It deserves our full presence and our delight in the taste, the smells, the textures, and the colors of the meal. Each bite, each sip is exquisite if we give our attention to it.

For our body's sake we need to eat slowly, refusing to give in to the hurry sickness of our culture.

"Eating with awareness brings us into the moment, helps us understand what it means to be alive, and connects us to the mystery and the source of all thing," Donald Altman reminds us in Art of the Inner Meal. He sees prayer as the appetizer for meals and mindfulness as the main course of a sacred way of eating. These attitudes and practices can bring us to a fresh appreciation of the connections between foods, moods, energy, health, and physical well-being.

In her book Mindful Eating, Jan Chozen Bays suggests practices that can enhance our experiences: Find ways of pausing when you eat; chew your food thoroughly before swallowing; eat small portions; know that food changes mood and use it as good medicine; remember the energy that you are deriving from this meal; be grateful for the food and for the efforts of all who brought it to you.

The real purpose of eating is to enhance the ultimate well-being of mind, body and spirit. Hearing this good news, I am sure that my body is very pleased!

My Cold, My Spiritual Teacher

It's that time of year again. The

cold and flu season is in full swing. It is amazing that we can put a remote controlled vehicle on Mars and probe the bottom of the deepest seas and still can't cure the common cold.

We're told that a cold is due to a tricky virus that likes to leap from one person to another by air, by doorknobs, by subway railings, you name it. We can take preventative measures like washing our hands constantly or wearing a mask when we're on an airplane or in a crowded place. We can try to lessen the odds that we'll get really sick by using all kinds of remedies, from homeopathic tablets, to a combination of Vitamin C, Echinacea, and Zinc, to big helpings of chicken soup.

There's no shame in catching a cold. We have periods of health and periods of sickness. This cycle is inescapable; a natural part of life. But there is a problem when we refuse to stay at home when we come down with a bad cold. In our 24/7 work culture, too many people continue working when they are sick and contagious. A spiritual explanation of this is that this behavior is the ego in action being selfish and harming others in the process.

The Zen master Seung Sahn puts it correctly when he says "Sick time, only sick." When you have a cold, stay at home, go to bed, slow down, and drink plenty of fluids. One thing at a time.

Although we are used to thinking about sickness as something that takes us down, throws us off-balance, and disrupts our regular routines, it is helpful to reframe and see the positive sides of having a cold. It can be a mini retreat, a time to be in silence. If you are not too sick, you can do some spiritual reading or write some letters.

You can also use a time of illness to practice kindness, generosity, and gratitude. Say prayers for all the other people who are suffering with colds and the flu. When you take an aspirin or a medicine to reduce your symptoms, be grateful to the scientists and drug companies that have brought you this relief. Get out your checkbook and send a donation to a favorite medical charity so that others with far worse diseases than a cold can also have relief.

Finally, when you are sick in bed, survey your body and see what it has to tell you. Have a conversation not just with your aching head, runny nose, and scratchy throat, but also with your toes, feet, legs, abdomen, lungs, hands, and other body parts. What can you learn about your body by giving it this extra attention? Remember that as the temple of God it is filled with wisdom.

Dealing with Headaches

According to the National Headache Foundation, over 45 million Americans suffer from chronic, recurring headaches, and of these, 28 million suffer from migraines. About 20% of children and adolescents also experience significant headaches.

I started my lifelong relationship with this form of pain when I was about 12 years old. Several times a week I would be stopped in my tracks by a pounding, throbbing pain in my temples, dizziness, and mild stomach upset. Taking to my bed for a few hours helped: pressing my temples against the pillow alleviated some, but not all of the discomfort.

For many years, I drank liquor when we went out to eat. It was a lark while in the restaurant but sheer hell the next day. I discovered that a teaspoon of Umeboshi paste, a very salty ingredient made from Japanese plums, could dispel a hangover. But better still was to not drink in the first place. So at middle age, I decided that I would rather feel good in the morning than in the evening, and I gave up drinking alcohol altogether.

Since I spend many hours every day sitting in front of a computer screen, I have become familiar with tension headaches which usually center in the temples and back of my neck. I have found that putting heat or rubbing Tiger Balm or peppermint essential oil alleviates the discomfort. Drinking ginger tea also seems to help.

I actually consider myself fortunate that my headaches these days are not debilitating and rarely interfere with my daily routine. Whereas my two sisters and many friends suffer from sinus headaches due to allergies, I have only a few seasonal symptoms.

Still, I've experienced enough pain from a headache to realize that it can be a catalyst to a spiritual practice of empathy. Whenever I have one now, I pause and breathe in and out and feel my connection to others who are suffering from a headache in this very moment. I am grateful to anything that reinforces my experience of oneness with others — even a headache. May we all find relief. May we all be free of pain. May we all know we are not alone.

Body Scars

The poet and singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen has written: "Children show scars like medals. Lovers use them as secrets to reveal. A scar is what happens when the word is made flesh."

From the top of my head to the bottom of my feet, my body is a historical archive on which a number of dramatic, and often thoughtless, moments are memorialized in scar tissue.

None of these wounds to the flesh resulted from my engagement in any kind of battle. They were peacetime injuries that spoke to me about something I needed to hear at that time.

The scar on the crown of my head is visible now that I am bald. It came in an automobile accident when I was in a car with four college classmates that skidded on a patch of ice, flipped over, rolled down a hill, and crashed into a tree. The doctors at the hospital told me I was a lucky fellow to have survived: if the gash had been a smidgeon larger, I would have died.

Although for a long time this scar was out of sight, it has never been out of mind. It is a warning to live to the fullest since death can come at any time.

The scar on my chin is from a spill I took when riding my bike down a hill and not paying attention to where I was going. I was too young then to know about single-mindedness but now I am behind it 100%.

The scar on my left hand is from a nail that pierced my finger. The memory of the making of this wound is humorous. A neighbor had to drive me to the hospital while my nail pieced finger was still attached to the stick holding the nail; stick, nail, and hand were hung out the car window. Although I still love to improvise, this incident taught me not to do it so carelessly.

The scar on my left leg is from a fall on jagged rocks in Antigua where I was rushing to get to a high spot on a hill to see the turquoise blue ocean. It has taken me a lifetime to learn to slow down.

My most visible scar is from abdominal surgery for an aortic aneurysm. It runs from my chest to my groin and is quite an impressive

souvenir of a very serious operation. I look at it and give thanks for excellent medical care.

The novelist Cormac McCarthy tells us: "Scars have the strange power to remind us that our past is real." Yes, and I am grateful for these spiritual reminders!

Lungs and Breath as Spiritual Teachers

"Experiencing my body, I breathe in.

Smiling to my body. I breathe out.

Calming my body, I breathe in.

Smiling to my body. I breathe out."

Thich Nhat Hanh has taught me more about my body than any other living spiritual teacher. Above is an example. It's a way of appreciating my body and specifically my lungs.

We take about 25,000 breaths a day, inhaling oxygen and exhaling carbon dioxide, seldom thinking about our lungs until we have a problem. There are many ways to protect our lungs and show our love for them. We can stay away from tobacco smoke, avoid exposure to air pollution, exercise regularly, drink plenty of water, eat vegetables and fruits with antidoxidants in them, and have regular checkups on our lungs.

Breath by breath we make it through another day. For those who breathe deeply, the tensions in the body are released naturally. Here is a drug-free antidote to stress, depression, insomnia, and trauma-induced emotions and behaviors. For those who breathe shallowly, the stress and anxieties of work and everyday life are locked into the places in the body that don't move as we breathe.

Various breathing techniques are recommended in yoga practice, Buddhist meditation, and the Chinese exercises of tai chi and qigong. Here's one from the Christian tradition.

This exercise, "God in My Breath" is a brief version of one Anthony de Mello presents in Sadhana: A Way to God. The intention is to bring God within — en theos.

"Close your eyes and practice breath awareness for a while. . . . Reflect now that this air that you are breathing in is charged with the power and the presence of God . . . Notice what you feel when you become aware that you are drawing God in with each breath you take.

Now while you breathe in, fill your lungs with the divine energy . . . While you breathe out, imagine you are breathing out all your impurities . . . your fears . . . your negative feelings . . . your apathy . . . your boredom . . . Imagine your whole body becoming radiant and alive through this process of breathing in God's life-giving Spirit and breathing out all your impurities.

Stay with this awareness as long as you can without distractions."

Arms, Hugs & Cuddles: The Path of Connections

Our arms are wonderful limbs for making connections in our lives. Each day, we use them in our interactions with others: receiving a package from a delivery person, paying a cashier for a purchase. Arms are also important for intimate relationships. Consider all the times you have linked arms with a friend, regardless of gender. No problem. Touching other body parts is much more tricky.

Although my arms have always been skinny, I never was tempted to increase my arm strength with weights or doing lots of push-ups. I do include in my stretching routine doing arm circles; they seem to loosen things up in my shoulders and back.

I cherish that my arms have never given me any trouble and have always been cooperative in my spiritual practices of kindness such as holding a door open for strangers, helping someone who needs support walking, or reaching into my pocket to give money to a homeless person.

Reaching around someone with your arms and giving them a big hug is both spiritual and therapeutic. Amma, an Indian spiritual teacher, has brought her message of divine compassion to over 30 million people through giving hugs. Many people report that her tender embrace brings them a sense of peace and security.

Research on hugging has revealed that it reduces stress and high blood pressure, raises levels of oxytocin which alliviates feelings of isolation and anger, strengthens the immune system, and increases happiness.

Family therapist Virginia Satir once said: "We need four hugs a day for survival. We need eight hugs a day for maintenance. We need twelve hugs a day for growth." If that number seems too high, I would suggest the substitution of a handful of cuddles every day. Here the arms again do their connection thing bringing two bodies close together in a tender reciprocity that warms the heart and works wonders.

I Am a Body of Water

We first experience water in the undulating sea of our mother's womb as we are floating in the dark and warm current of amniotic fluid. No wonder we closely identify with the many creations myths that emphasize the role of water. Our bodies affirm the water's presence in our beginning and in the Great Beginning of life on this planet.

We are 77 % water at birth with our skin delineating the boundaries of our internal waters. This is a fact of our existence: We are a body of water. On a spiritual level, we acknowledge that the water coursing through our physical being is connected to the rivers, streams, lakes, and oceans: we are kith and kin. When they are polluted and harmed by our careless acts, we suffer with them. When we work to protect and save the waterways, we are healing ourselves.

I have always felt deeply connected to the ocean, its beauty, its dynamism, and its many mysteries. I have spent thousands of hours by turquoise waters listening, watching, smelling, and feeling. Whenever I hear the biblical verse about the Spirit of God moving over the face of the waters, I am soothed by the idea of the Creator's closeness to this part of the creation.

I marvel at water's ability to purify and renew. Knowing that it is dangerous for the body to be dehydrated, I drink at least eight glasses of water a day in order keep my inward ocean satisfied. I also am careful what I put on my skin. Just as poisons pass through the soil and enter the water, toxins can pass through the skin into our inner sea. When the water in our cells is tainted with physical and spiritual toxins, our personal immune system is dangerously weakened.

Part of my spiritual practice is taking care of my own special body of water. Here are two exercises I have tried and found to be both healing and restorative. They are from Water, Wind, Earth, and Fire: The Christian Practice of Praying with the Elements by Christine Valters Paintner.

"Begin your time of prayer by finding your pulse and reflecting on the life-giving blood and water being pumped through your system.

"Spend some time by a fountain, listening to the flow of the water and contemplating its invitation for your own life. Pay attention to those places where water wants to surge up and offer its refreshment. Make note of the streams, rivers, and other water sources near you as places for prayer."

Bathing the Body

There is a long and rich tradition of spiritual bathing in all the world's wisdom traditions. Bathing becomes a devotional act when we combine water, prayer, and ritual with the intention of shedding the negative toxins of anger, fear, anxiety, stress, grief, a broken heart, and other forms of loss. Tieraona Low Dog has observed that "a daily spiritual bath is an easy way to start paying attention to your spirit and soul as well as your body."

I am a water person. Being close to oceans, rivers, lakes, and streams calms me down and brings peace to my body and mind. Mountains and prairies do not speak to me. Water is still a mystery to me, emcompassing both creation and destruction. When I was a young boy, I was thrown into a deep lake and told to swim back to the dock: it was a frightening experience that made me cringe every time I entered a swimming pool for many years afterwards. Eventually, this fear of drowning vanished and I became a devotee of water as a sacred place.

Over the years I have read about Jewish immersion rituals described in the Torah, Christian baptism, the Eastern Orthodox blessing for water on Epiphany, Roman bathhouses, Celtic wells, Native American sweat lodges, and more. All of these examples of spiritual bathing reveal the manifold ways in which water transports us to a high and holy place. It is also used to mark rites of passage and provide healing to our bodies and souls.

My own immersion ritual is taking a shower. The act of undressing and stepping into a shower is always good medicine for me. It feels wonderful to massage my head, neck, chest, stomach, arms, legs, and feet with a soaped and sturdy washcloth. Here is a spiritual practice of nurturing which draws my attention to my flesh. I love to receive the gracious spray of water on my back which takes away the stress of the day and the tightness in my muscles. It reminds me of Divine Love's care and concern for me. I feel my pores open and afterwards I am revitalized as new energy surges through me.

Each shower brings its own rewards and contributes to my ongoing personal transformation. The final blessing comes when I am embraced by a soft and comforting towel that welcomes me back into the world as a new person.

Comfort Clothes

Every fall and many winter days I go outside in my Western Stockman Outback Duster for another adventure in the wild city of Manhattan. I got the coat 20 years ago during a visit to Australia, having admired the style in movies about stockmen. Rain quickly slicks off the coat's caped shoulders. I am protected from the wind by a standup collar with a comfortable throat latch. When it's both wet and windy, I can fasten the leg straps to keep dry. When I need to carry a book with me, it fits perfectly into the large cargo pockets.

I love this coat for taking such good care of my body and for expressing my soul. Another favorite piece of clothing is my winter cape coat. I was wearing one like it when I first met Mary Ann, and I had that coat copied by a tailor. It could have been worn by Sherlock Holmes and makes me feel a bit mysterious!

Besides these two favorites, I am very fond of clothes that rest easy on my body. I cherish a t-shirt that I have had for 25 years and finally had to let go because it was faded, threadbare, and torn. I only recently laid to rest some sweat pants that were instrumental in keeping me fit for a decade. These simple items always met my needs and never let me down. Worn close to the skin and soft to the touch, I think of them as comfort clothes.

There was a time in my life as a young man when I looked forward to vacations and dressing up. I had several white suits and wearing them, I felt transported to an era of elegance. Clothes were a way to express my individuality and my sense of play. But as the years have passed, I've found other ways of self-expression. Now I enjoy dressing down in the humble uniform of so many around me: sneakers, jeans, and a t-shirt.

Perhaps my feelings of attachment to simple comfort clothes is the reason that dressing in the early morning hours has become part of my spiritual rituals for the beginning of a new day. Here an ordinary habit becomes a sacred moment as I bless my underpants, socks, shoes, pants, belt, and shirt, and ask the Creator to express my creative spirit not only through these clothes but also in my every word and deed in service of others.

My Eyes Behold the Wonders

I spent most of my childhood in my bedroom comfortably hidden away from the tensions and anxieties of the 1950s. I loved to read and my eyes became very familiar with the rhythms of long hours of my turning pages while seated in my cozy chair. I also loved to go to the movies where my eyes were treated to the exploits of heroes and to the wilderness of places beyond my ken. I must have been seven years old when I got my first pair of glasses, and I haven't spent a single day since then without them. I have always had a fondness for glasses with black frames.

During my teen years, all the eye strain caused a series of excruciating headaches but there was nothing I could do except endure them. I certainly wasn't going to give up all my reading. Looking back on my life, I agree with Hui Neng who is quoted in Frederick Franck's book Zen Seeing, Zen Drawing: "The meaning of life is to see."

My life has been organized and animated by this important sense organ, and every year the accumulated number of books read and films and DVDs watched increases to a point where even I am stunned by the numbers. Of course, I don't do negative reviews and so all the visual information is repurposed into positive energy for all.

I marvel at the many times Jesus uses the terms "Behold" as he moves through the lives of the people who follow him. One of the most appealing things about the Christian path is this constant encouragement to see things with new eyes. The wonders abound if we only are alert to them and receptive to the beauty and the bounty they bring into our lives. I like the perspective of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov who prayed: "Open my eyes, O God, to the marvels that surround me."

I recently had cataract surgeries for both eyes and had new lenses put in. I now have 20/20 distance vision in both eyes. For the first time since I was seven, I do not have to wear glasses to watch movie, television, or sports events. I don't need prescription sunglasses when I'm walking the streets on a sunny day. The whole world has become brighter with richer and deeper colors. Recently, the grass looked so green outside a hotel room in the Midwest, I could have sworn it had been painted or sprayed for a romantic scene in a movie! Thanks to the great talent of my eye-doctor, I can now behold the world as it is — filled with incredible beauty and a rich variety of wonders!

My Legs: I Move & Therefore I Am!

As a child filled with energy, my legs carried me to the baseball field where I usually played center field because of my speed.

As a boy I loved to run and my legs would oblige me, helping me burn off my large reserves of energy.

As a teenager I suffered at the hands of bullies and when a group of them came after me, my legs helped me escape from their clutches.

As a young unmarried man, my legs carried me down many lonely streets at night as I longed for a wife who would love and cherish me forever.

As a happily married minister, my legs carried me to the pulpit where I preached and hoped the Spirit would send my words into the hearts of the people.

As a reviewer, my legs got quite a workout in Hollywood when I strolled around large movie lots looking for the offices of television and film producers I was to interview.

As a middle-aged man, my legs climbed the sacred mountain known as Ayers Rock in Australia, and in Japan helped me move around the gardens of Kyoto amidst falling cherry blossoms.

For a lifetime of reading books, my legs have kept quiet and in one place. Thousands of hours spent watching movies in cramped seats in crowded theatres has put a strain on my legs.

The Fire in My Belly

I am standing up and breathing deeply into my belly, letting all cares and worries go. Just below my diaphragm is my abdomen, the center of gravity for me and, according to Hindu and Buddhist yogic systems, the sacred energy center that sends chi flowing throughout the rest of my body. This fire in the belly enables me to nurture myself and take care of others. It is also the place in the body that activates my deepest emotions and truest intentions.

Years ago, the spiritual woman who gave me shiatsu every week said that I had incredible energy in my abdomen. I told her that I was grateful to God for this gift. But just talking about it took me back to childhood when bullies at the school I attended used to derive great pleasure out of holding me down and giving me a pink belly with a series of sharp open-handed slaps.

Memories of regular persecution did not stop my adult delight in watching the shaking and undulating stomachs of belly dancers in New York City. One of my favorite films is Satin Rouge, an ebullient Tunisian film about the startling transformation of a tradition-bound widow when she is drawn into the exotic world of belly dancing. The sacred energy which pulsates through our bodies can be cultivated through meditation, massage, shiatsu, and dance.

There was a time when a pot belly was seen as a sign of success. That body reading is long gone: now the dreaded beer belly is an indication of over-eating and a failure to control one's appetite. Most of my male friends speak with disgust about their protruding stomachs and their endless battle to achieve washboard abs like those of many youthful movie stars. This adversarial role pitting us against belly fat usually leads to great disappointment. Far better to look with gratitude upon our tummies for all the complex and splendid work they do for us every day in the digestion of food and the overall functioning of our bodies.

One of the best things coming from our abdomens is laughter. Here is a morning prayer by the inimitable Edward Hays that is animated by three good belly laughs:

"At the beginning of a new day, your first prayer laugh would be in gratitude for all the gifts of yesterday and a good night's sleep. Your second laugh could be for the wondrous gift of a new day of life overflowing with opportunities to enjoy it fully. The third and boisterous laugh would be to blow the dust off your soul so it and your heart can glisten like the rising sun."

Praise for My Kidneys

By far, the most pain I have ever experienced was when I had kidney stones. They are accumulations of mineral salts varying in size from microscopic to the size of a fingertip that form in the kidney and then travel down the ureter to the bladder. As the tiny, sharp crystals rub against this tube, it causes severe pain through the region. It may take days or a week for a kidney stone to pass and throughout this period of watching and waiting it is best to rely on a strong pain killer prescribed by an urologist.

An estimated 10 percent of Americans develop kidney stones at some point in their lives. This can be one of the most excruciatingly painful health disorders; a friend of mine who suffered through six bouts with kidney stones says that they are more painful than what a woman goes through giving birth. After my nightmarish experience, I have made it a habit to drink at least 6 eight-ounce glasses of water a day. This is the single most important measure one can take to prevent kidney stones from forming again.

My experience prompted me to consider what my kidneys actually do for me. A sports doctor told me to think of my kidneys as a pasta strainer or filter. These two organs are the size of our fists and are located on either side of the spine, just below the rib cage. The kidneys are hard workers removing waste and extra fluid from the blood. In addition to getting rid of toxins, they are miracle workers who do the positive work of controlling the body's chemical balance, helping control blood pressure, helping us make red blood cells, and helping us keep our bones healthy.

My sports doctor, who has also studied Chinese medicine, points out that kidneys are the source of much of the day-by-day energy that we need to keep us going. He suggested that I think of the kidneys as a pilot light in a stove. If the flame is too low, the entire energy system will not function properly. That is why eating properly is such an important part of having our kidneys functioning well.

In light of all that my kidneys do for me, I want to express my deep gratitude to them for working so hard and sustaining me in ways I have often taken for granted.

The Multi-talented Tongue

Although it is not true that the tongue is the strongest muscle in the body, it could be argued that it is one of the most versatile. It is essential for jump-starting the digestive process by serving as a guide. It keeps food between the teeth until it is chewed or masticated and sent on its merry way. Here the tongue is a capable manager.

The tongue is also what scientists call a peripheral sense organ in that it helps us perceive the sensation of taste. As Quaker J. Brent Bill reminds us, "taste is a way that God's presence comes to us." Think of all the magic moments in your life when your palate was introduced to a sweet, sour, pungent, or spicy taste. I can still remember the first time I tasted a piece of moist carrot cake or when I reveled in the exquisite taste of guacamole where the avocado had been laced with just the right mixture of garlic and cilantro. In both these delectable treats I was grateful to the presence of the Divine in my taste buds. Here the tongue is a gifted master-of-ceremonies.

The tongue is an erotic organ. A French proverb goes "Lovers can live on kisses and cool water." The joint dance of lips and tongues leads to an endorphic high. Kissing, according to health experts, is healthy too; passionate kissing burns 6.4 calories per minute and produces lots of saliva which helps combat plaque. Thank you, Mr. Tongue, for serving as a go-between, looking after my best interests.

In the Bible (James 3: 5-6), we read: "So the tongue is a little member and boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! And the tongue is a fire." How easy it is for us to set blazes here and there by criticizing our spouse or gossiping about our neighbor.

In the Benedictine monastic tradition, there is a spiritual practice called keeping custody of the tongue. It is a type of self-care and a path toward goodness. The idea is to consciously pay attention to what you say at all times. One way to begin is to say this prayer in the morning:

"Dear Lord, please help me today to use my tongue in your service by uttering words of love, kindness, praise and encouragement. Help me to take custody of tongue so I do not utter words of hate, disrespect, criticism, gossip, or slander."

My Unruly Bushy Eyebrows

Those who spend their time studying the body and human nature tell us that eyebrows are one of the most distinctive features of our appearance. No wonder so many women spend time plucking or penciling them. Others let them grow wild and take great pleasure in letting them extend in all directions. Since I cut my ponytail off years ago, I relish my eyebrows as a remaining outward sign of my inner rebel.

Scientists have a term for eyebrows: they are "superciliary patches." What do they do for us? Our eyebrows help keep moisture out of our eyes when we sweat or walk in the rain. You probably can recall some service your eyebrows have provided. I can think of many a time when they have kept both sweat and suntan lotion from getting in my eyes at the beach.

On another level, our eyebrows signal our ephemeral moods. Every time our emotions change, these body parts change: arched eyebrows convey greeting or pleasant surprise; lowered eyebrows are a reaction to real or imagined danger.

In the past, women's fashion dictated that eyebrows be shaped and plucked. Nowadays, models and actresses with thick and rich eyebrows are admired. The same is true for their male counterparts.

The eyebrows provide a fertile field for face readers. In morphology, a system of face reading, eyebrows signify strength and stamina. The more the better. This understanding gives me to many playful and entertaining moments. My bushy eyebrows indicate that I am a mentally active person who is always energized by new thoughts and projects. You can also depend on me to come up with new ideas. The tangled hairs of my eyebrows signal that I am an unconventional thinker with an ability to see all sides of an issue.

Every time I go the barber, he asks me whether or not I want my wild and unruly eyebrows trimmed. I tell him no and remember the line from Zorba the Greek: "A man needs a little madness, or else he never dares cut the rope and be free."

My Wondrous Wrists

Today I want to bring my attention to my wrists which like my toes have not received the accolades they deserve. They had an important role in my childhood and youth when I played baseball, helping me swing the bat properly and catch a ball with the right turn of the glove. I think of how important wrists are for most sports: golf, tennis, ping pong, darts, bowling, even the one-on-one battle of arm wrestling.

I have always used my hands to punctuate my words. I have pictures of me talking in front of a group or preaching where it's obvious I've been using my wrists to turn my hands in all kinds of positions.

The list of gifts from my wrists goes on. For a lifetime, they have helped me hold books and turn thousands of pages. They are part of raising a glass to toast friends, holding hands, hugging someone, and swinging on a rope before plunging into the cool water of a pond.

I marvel at the wondrous ways wrists are used by dancers, especially those from Eastern countries like India and Bali. I enjoy watching Olympic athletes turning and twisting various props, executing complex lifts and tumbles -- all thanks to their wrists. When I watch them, I am grateful that I have not been slowed down by carpal tunnel syndrome which often afflicts people like me who spend a lot of time working on a keyboard. My wrists are still flexible and fine.

Since I have always possessed an uncanny sense of what time it is, I never have had much use for a watch to wear around my wrist. But I do wear wrist malas (prayer beads); I feel they connect me to my spiritual path and I feel they send healing energy to me through my wrists.

I've been thinking that I need a way to express my gratitude to these body parts. Then I remembered how much I like a Sufi hospitality ritual: they spray rosewater on the wrists of guests, and when they leave, the fragrance and the love linger on the flesh.

My Biological Clock and Life as a Lark

One of the many marvels of being human is the large role played by our biological clocks which regulate such activities as blood pressure, metabolic rate, digestion, heart rate, and urinary output. Because genes control our biological clocks this personality trait is inherited.

I happen to be a lark rather than an owl. As a college student I was a person who loved to stay up late and study far into the night. Now I go to bed at 9 pm and get up at 4 am, which means I am a really committed lark! This habit of rising so early works well for Mary Ann and me since she is owl who likes to stay up and get up late; she takes a while to feel lively in the morning. The cats seem to prefer my schedule since they get an extra meal out of it and love to sleep in my office after their breakfast.

My need to have a routine which I follow rigorously is bolstered by my biological clock which sets the agenda for the day. I have figured out this schedule after years of experimenting with how my rhythms work.

The time period from 4 am to 7 am is just right for early morning prayers, greeting the moon, and saying hello to the rising sun. It is also an ideal opportunity to savor the silence as I curate material for our web site.

When 7 am rolls around I put up my daily seven quotations on Twitter, and then it is on to feeding the cats again, cleaning their litter boxes, stretching, and using the treadmill for a 30-minute walk. I repeat my own informal mantra throughout this exercise period.

The time frame between 8 am and 11 am is perfect for intensive reading and/or writing. This is the peak of mental alertness in my day. My lowest energy point is around 1 pm, two hours after lunch. I usually have film screenings in the middle of the day or at 6 pm which gives me a chance to walk uptown and get some sunlight and energy in movement.

Dinner is at 6 pm if there is no screening and then I watch a DVD or listen to music. Bedtime is at 9 pm.

My body must do a good job producing melatonin for I fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow. Thanks to the miracle of my biological clock I have used all of my God-given energy and I look forward to another brand new day where I can be my larkish self!

Saliva, A Bodily Overachiever

Like other bodily fluids (snot, vaginal fluids, and semen), saliva is not something we talk or think about very often. This clear, watery liquid comes from several glands in your mouth which secrete two to four pints of spit every day.

Think of your saliva as a wonderful overachiever. Let's take a gander at the things it does for us. It wets food and makes it easier to swallow. It assists the tongue to help us taste things. It keeps the mouth moist and comfortable. Saliva has proteins and minerals that help keep our teeth clean and prevent gum disease. The enzymes in saliva serve as little warriors in the battle against bad breath and infections in the mouth. As a germ killer, saliva is more impressive and effective than any mouthwash.

In Living in the Tao, Mantak Chia salutes the power of saliva in his tradition: "The Taoists always recommend you swallow your own saliva at least 15 to 30 times a day. This allows the body to heal itself. The saliva itself has a high potassium content, which really heals the body. When you were young and hurt yourself, what was the first thing your mother did? She kissed it and made it all better. The kissing transferred the saliva from her mouth, which had a healing effect on the body. This is the same for animals: as soon as they cut themselves, the first thing they do is lick the cut and that helps the body heal itself. The saliva from the tongue as they lick the wound starts to heal the wound."

In some cultures, expectoration or the spitting of saliva is socially acceptable, and spittoons are available in public places. In her entertaining and enlightening book Gulp, Mary Roach quotes Evi Numen: "For saliva-positive attitudes, there is no place like Greece. Greeks spit on pretty much anything they want to protect from the evil eye or bless for good luck." So don't get bent out of shape when you see a person spitting on a baby or a bride. According to legend, the Greeks picked up this habit from Catholic priests who used to baptize with spittle.

But in other parts of the world, including most other Western cultures, spitting is considered rude. It may even be forbidden by law where it is thought to be a way that disease spreads.

If you regularly use medicines which are known to affect saliva flow, you will give up spitting altogether in order to preserve your great ally. Dry mouth is a nasty condition that is common in older adults and means that your sense of taste is weak and your risk for cavities and gum disease are higher. If you've ever experienced this dreadful affliction, you will be grateful for every drop of saliva you can produce. It truly is a wonder

Running as a Spiritual Practice

As a boy I loved to run just for the sheer animal pleasure of it. There was something magical about moving my body – the feet flying, the churning of the legs, the pumping of the heart, and the rapid breathing – that was immensely appealing to me. I had always been a walker and running became for me a natural extension of this form of exercise.

As a young man with all the usual pressures and deadlines brought on by too much work, running became a release. By removing the stagnant air from my lungs and by focusing on the present moment, I experienced a life-enhancing feeling of true freedom. Oddly enough, the exertion of moving fast gave way to relaxation once the run for the day ended.

As a middle-aged man, my running shifted to the treadmill in our home. This regular form of exercise was transformed into spiritual practice. I picked up some helpful material from Roger D. Joslin's Running the Sacred Path. Here are a few practices I adapted:

Prepare mindfully for your run as you put on your socks and shoes.

Stretch before you run, focusing your attention on each muscle. Ask God to bless your time and bring strength and renewal to your body and mind.

Give thanks for your feet and all the things they make possible in your days and doings.

Use music to lift your spirits and bring even more elation to your running experience.

Spend the last part of your run opening to the Divine presence.

I no longer run, having shifted to regular walks around the city and on the treadmill, but I feel that I have made the most of this sacred experience. It has been a spiritual teacher for me over the years.

George Sheehan, a writer, doctor, and philosopher, once stated: "Running is not a religion, it is a place." I rejoice in the place that running gave me to see and feel God more clearly and to connect with my body and my innermost being.

Sitting Too Much Is the New Smoking

We have read that sitting is the new smoking and when we sit all day hunched over our computers, we are doing irreparable damage to our precious bodies. In this article by Caroline Dowd-Higgins, she quotes Lisa Fields who believes there is a high price that eventually must be paid for our sedentary lifestyle:

"A growing body of research shows that long periods of physical inactivity raise your risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and obesity."

Buddhists talk about the four postures of reclining, sitting, standing, and walking. In New World Mindfulness, Donald McCown and Marc Micozzi characterize sitting as the place where stillness and change meet. That's an interesting way of describing the one posture that we have persistently overdone in our lives.

Here are some of the hazards stemming from too much sitting: high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol, over-productive pancreas, colon cancer, mushy abs, tight hips, poor circulation in the legs, soft bones, strained neck, sore shoulders and back, disk damage and a foggy brain.

We need to move around more in the day doing little exercises and rituals, walk or jog, and make a conscientious effort to promote good posture, strength, movement, flexibility and balance. As Gloria Steinem has wisely said: "If we bless our bodies, they will bless us."

My Face

The poet Rainer Maria Rilke used to spend his lunch hour outside watching the faces of the people walking by; he found it a pleasant way to pass time. One day he wrote in his notebook: "It never occurred to me before how many faces there are. There are multitudes of people but there are many more faces, because each person has several of them."

I come from a long line of stern and arrogant men. Looking at the photographs of my grandfather on my mother's side of the family and great grandfathers from long ago, I can see how their visages threatened and frightened other people.

In her writings about growing up in Africa among the Dagara, Sobonfu Some comments on how they believe that you sculpt your face as you live, each wrinkle and crease showing a particular challenge, joy, pain, or struggle you have survived.

I will never forget the shocking encounter I had one day in seminary with my theology professor who took me aside after class and said: "Do you have any idea how the bored and scornful look on your face affects others? You better do something about the way you present yourself to the world. You will never make it in the parish with a face like the one you presented to me this morning."

Years later, I read in this story in Eknath Easwaran's The Bhagavad Gita for Daily Living, Volume 2: "In my teaching days in India, when I would remind a student that he was looking a little gloomy, he would object. 'But sir, it's my face.' I would reply, 'Yes, but it's we who have to look at it.' Not even the look on our face is our own business; all these things affect the people around us."

Although sometimes bothered and bewildered by how people react to my face, I have been carried through the years by a solid and enduring knowledge that the Beloved smiles sweetly upon seeing my visage and Mary Ann does the same. "Hello handsome" is one of her cheerful repertoire of morning greetings to me. That simple but genuine token of love means a lot to me.

So now I do not worry very much anymore about my downturned mouth which looks scornful or my hollow eyes or the sometimes emotionless expression on my face. Buoyed by grace, I take to the streets so that my face may join the others in the parade of life.

This Old Heart of Mine

"Work of the eyes is done, now

go and do heart work."

– Rainer Maria Rilke

My heart is a marvelous fist-size pumping organ whose chief physical duty is to deliver oxygen-rich blood to the cells and organs of my body. It labors tirelessly beating approximately 80,000-140,000 times a day, depending on the resting heart rate. This astonishing feat adds up to 42 million heartbeats a year! My gratitude is abundant.

One of the major challenges of my life as an elder is to take the time and energy to do all I can to keep my heart healthy and flourishing.

This, of course, means doing some daily "outer work" – eating a healthy diet, drinking plenty of water, doing aerobic exercise, body stretching, and mind-training.

It is equally important that I do "inner work" to nurture that other heart within me – the seat of wisdom and understanding, the locus of meaning, compassion, kindness, wonder, reverence, and peace. You get my gist: my wisdom heart supports the 37 spiritual practices we identify in the Alphabet of Spiritual Literacy.

Confucius called these life skills "human-heartedness." What a capacious term for embracing everything in life's pageant from greetings to table manners, respect for strangers, worship services, and leave taking. These skills of the heart can be manifested in service of the Holy One, family, community, art, or our spiritual teacher. They all reveal the same appreciation, loyalty, sensitivity, and commitment.

Heart work brings out the best in us and enables us to dance for joy in gratitude for the Ten Thousand things which enhance, deepen, and enrich our lives.

Doing outer and inner work enables us to celebrate the heart as a double duty dynamo that serves as a catalyst to our spiritual transformation.

Experiencing Spirituality

Finding Meaning Through Storytelling

By Ernest Kurtz, Katherine Ketcham

Ernest Kurtz and Katherine Ketcham on how awe is the original spiritual act.

A Book Excerpt on Reverence

"Awe. Wonder. Mystery. Reverence. How can we choose among these words a title for this segment? There is a two-sidedness to wonder: on the one hand, standing in awe of a reality that is incomprehensibly greater than 'self,' we experience our smallness, our relative insignificance in the presence of immensity; yet also, our very human capacity for that awe, that wonder, calls into experience what the author of the psalms [8:5] describes and the apostle Paul quoted with approval in his letter to the Hebrews [2:7]: '. . . you have made him a little lower than the angels, and have crowned him with glory and honor!' This exclamation expresses a double wonder: at the generosity of God or the magnificence of the universe, and at the majesty, the very wonder, of human be-ing.

" 'Awe is a reflex of spirit.'

- Elpenor

" '. . . our capacity for awe is the lens through which creation passes. . . . So reverence should be thought of as prior to belief. It is the human predisposition, perhaps as universal among us as any other, to sense the grandeur of the event we call being, to consider the heavens, to ponder the cunning of a hand.

. . . reverence is the great corrective to the tendency of belief to warp, contract, harden. This is true, I think, because reverence is a kind of awe, and awe is a kind of humility.'

- Marilynne Robinson

". . . Spirituality begins not in fear ('help/save me') nor in greed ('give or get for me') but in the sense of awe, wonder, and gratitude ('Wow!' 'Thanks!') evoked at a realization of, in the aware presence of, beauty — whether perceived in the grandeur and magnificence of the universe or in the hint of infinity in a newborn infant.

" 'What is man, that you are mindful of him?' asked the psalmist in the verse preceding the one quoted above. We do not ask questions like that anymore. Which may be why it is so difficult to believe the next verse's response: '. . . a little lower than the angels . . . crowned with glory and honor.'

"Awe is not fashionable these days. The calculating mind — and those who live by it — refuse the limitation that wonder and mystery imply.

" 'Awe and wonder are concepts that have fallen into extreme disfavor, if not actual contempt, in our culture. Rather than admiring what is greater and better than ourselves, we try to destroy it. We disfigure what is more beautiful than we are and ridicule what is more profound than we are and drag what is higher than we are down to our own level. We feel diminished by the existence of these things, whereas we should feel exalted. We shut ourselves off from everything that would lift us up.'

- William H. Herr

" 'Today's mystery,' runs the usual assumption, 'is tomorrow's truism.' And for the calculating mind, this is true: the only purpose of any limit, the only reason for its being, is to be overcome. But not all reality accepts calculation. Not all limits are contingent. The hammer, so useful in pounding in any kind of nail — indeed so effective for any kind of pounding — eventually meets the screw.

"Screwdrivers exist, of course. But to believe that nothing can be beyond manipulative control is to believe that the universe is composed solely of nails.

" 'A man traveled across land and sea to investigate the Master's extraordinary fame.

"What miracles has your Master worked?" he asked a disciple.

"Well, there are miracles and then there are miracles, the disciple replied. In your land it is regarded as a miracle if God does someone's will. In our country, it is regarded as a miracle if someone does the will of God." ' "

What Is Spirituality?

by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

All the world's religions have a spirituality, and it is also a common impulse among people who do not affiliate with any religion. A useful image was offered by Bede Griffiths, a Christian who spent most of his life in India. During a video interview made shortly before his death in 1993, Griffiths spread out his hand. The religions are like the separate fingers, he said, and are quite distinct from each other. For example, they have different revered teachers, sacred texts, dogmas, and rituals. But, Griffiths continued, if you trace each finger to its source, the palm of the hand, you see that the religions all come together in their depths. Thirteenth-century German mystic Meister Eckhart put it another way, calling God an underground river of wisdom with many wells tapping into it. That river is spirituality.

That is one answer. There are actually numerous definitions of spirituality. Jungian therapist Jeremiah Abrams defines spirituality as a "holy longing, a yearning to know the meaning of our lives, to have a connection with the transpersonal."

Two simple but profound definitions of spirituality are offered by Alan Jones, former dean of Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, who regards spirituality as "the art of making connections," and by Jewish scholar David Ariel, who calls it "heart knowledge."

Catholic educator Regina Coll suggests that spirituality is an "awareness of the 'more than meets the eye' in our daily lives...it refers to our hopes and dreams, our patterns of thought, our emotions, feelings, and behaviors." Gerald May, a psychiatrist and director of spiritual guidance, seconds that view, linking the term to "our deepest values and desires, the very core of our being."

Many define spirituality as a way of being in the world. According to Catholic Bishop Pedro Casaldaliga, poet of the Amazon Indians, "spirituality is a measure of our humanity -- personal depth, conscience, deep will." Another Catholic, Sister Joan Puls, locates it "in our human responses to the brokenness of our world, the threats to our planet home, the crisis points in our own lives, and the pleas and plight of human beings around us." Latin American liberation theologian Leonardo Boff calls spirituality "that attitude which puts life at the center, and defends and promotes life against all the mechanisms of death, desiccation, or stagnation."

The journey toward wholeness is a common motif in some definitions of spirituality. Psychotherapist Molly Young Brown writes: "When we expand our awareness, strengthen our center, clarify our purpose, transform our inner demons, develop our will and make conscious choices, we are moving toward deeper connection with our spiritual self." Marsha Sinetar, who has written extensively about self-actualization, notes that "everyone is spiritual to one degree or another, although many people don't admit it."

Many definitions, subtle differences in emphasis. All of them allow for spirituality to be an everyday adventure that can touch more and more areas of our lives. In his book The Music of Silence, Brother David Steindl-Rast, a Benedictine monk, gave one of the clearest explanations we have encountered:

"Sometimes people get the mistaken notion that spirituality is a separate department of life, the penthouse of our existence. But rightly understood, it is a vital awareness that pervades all realms of our being. Someone will say, 'I come alive when I listen to music,' or 'I come to life when I garden,' or 'I come alive when I play golf.'" Wherever we come alive, that is the area in which we are spiritual. And then we can say, 'I know at least how one is spiritual in that area.' To be vital, awake, aware, in all areas of our lives, is the task that is never accomplished, but it remains the goal."

Saging Your House For Moving Day: The History, The How-To, And The Facts

This article was first published on June 4, 2018 by Alyssa Duranty at Public Storage. It has been republished here with credit. Last month we focused on Detoxification in The Membership Program and this lesson is still available until the end of the month -

Saging Your House On Moving Day

Smudging, or the act of burning dried herbs, has been around for generations, crossed culture lines, and is now a common modern practice. If you’ve used white sage to cleanse your space, for you saging your house on moving day may have become an essential routine. But if you’ve only heard about it, you may wonder why the tradition has become hot.

“Burning sage is a very important thing to do when moving into a new space, because it gets rid of negative or difficult energy in a space,” said Diane Ronngren, author of Sage and Smudge: The Ultimate Guide (Amazon link).

“I’ve moved a lot in my life, and I’m conscious of the fact that something has happened in that house before I got there, and I want it clear before I move into it.”

And burning sage is also known for creating calming environments, providing better sleep and possibly killing airborne bacteria. All great things to have in a new, unfamiliar home.

If you want to learn more about burning sage, or smudging, keep reading to hear more from Ronngren and another saging specialist. Both burn sage and use aromatherapy before and after they move!

history of saging your house

People have burned herbs, a practice widely known as smudging, all around the world for thousands of years.

Burning dried white sage, or saging, originated with Native Americans, who used it as many do today: To cleanse of purify a space, according to an article by Rosalyn La Pier, a professor at the University of Montana.

But burning other herbs and incense has been used to cleanse spaces in many western cultures, as well, said Ronngren.

“In the 1300s, they smudged in churches to clear out illnesses using a variety of different herbs to clear air and energy,” she said. “It’s just something that’s prevalent device for clearing space or creating ambiance.”

Today, many people burn sage out of tradition, or for spiritual reasons. Smudging influenced commercialized versions of air purification, like scented candles, stick incense and plug-in air fresheners.

Some continue to burn sage because they believe research that dried plant smoke helps kill germs.

“Burning plant material, in some research studies, removed 94 percent of airborne bacteria,” said Amanda Linette Meder, a writer with two science degrees who specializes in all things spiritual.

why burn sage on moving day?

If burning plants does kill bacteria, then burning sage is a great way to literally clean a space. And if you like the smell of sage, it’s a great way to make your new space feel like home!

Like many others, Ronngren burns sage before, during and after moving day to create a spiritually positive space in her former and new homes. By burning sage, she and others believe the smoke clears a space of any negative energy or bad experiences that happened there previously.

“People don’t think about the space they create their lives in,” she said. “We have every different feeling and event in the home, so they should want to create a space for calmness and happiness.”

Smudging is just one of the tools Meder uses to de-stress, along with yoga. She finds burning sage comes in handy during stressful moves.

“Typically, I recommend burning sage as a final touch before leaving a home,” she said. “Once the last of the furniture is out, it’s a nice gesture to smudge to set a new, clean tone. It’s the final kiss on the moving out process.”

how to sage your home

If you’re ready to get smudging at your new home, you can find dried white sage online or at local natural food stores. Your farmers market may also have some to buy!

Our experts say the process of saging a house is up to personal preference, but it should always be done safely to avoid any hazards.

Ronngren has a very specific smudging routine for her home, one that she’s mastered through her many moves.

“I walk counterclockwise through the space with sage or herbs,” she said. “I go around everything. Each corner, each door, outside doors, outside windows. I focus on the living spaces, because that’s where you’re most venerable. Especially the bedroom, because you want good sleep and dreams.”

Some scientists consider burning sage a type of aromatherapy and say these pleasant smells will improve sleep and relieve pain, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

If you live in a small home or apartment, Meder recommends burning a small sage leaf (pictured above) instead of an entire stick. She also recommends that people with a smoke sensitivity to diffuse a white sage oil instead.

“Go through every room with the smoking sage, and you don’t need a lot,” she said. “You can light one leaf, because a smudge stick will smoke a lot.”

Both experts recommend burning sage regularly, even after you’ve finished moving, to purify the air and keep balance.

“I recommend cleansing the space by smudging any time you do a seasonal cleaning, three times a year at a minimum,” said Meder. “I burn sage every Sunday, during my major week cleanups, to reset the space.”

“It’s like my organic Febreze,” she added.

For more articles on moving tips, check out Public Storage's moving blog here or check out this article on how to identify if a residual or a spirit is in your home before you move in.

PARADISE CHRISTIAN CHURCH

A peep Into the World Of Mediumship And Body Spirituality post by Admin

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