5 Tips for a Better Reading

Last week Lily Dale opened for the season. For those of you not familiar, Lily Dale is a Spiritualist community located in Cassadaga, NY known for its mediums. The Lily Dale season lasts from the last week of June through Labor Day. During these nine to twelve weeks, the Lily Dale Assembly (similar to a town board) brings in speakers and lecturers holding classes on metaphysical topics. They offer spiritual healings and they perform public demonstrations of mediumship all for the purpose of introducing and educating people of spiritualism and spiritual topics.
 
Lily Dale holds a special place in my family’s heart as my grandfather’s uncle, Norman Mootz, was a medium with connections to “the Dale.” As a family, we take the road trip down about once a year. Last week my mom and two aunts made their yearly trek.
 
Each has their favorite medium that, over the years, they have carefully selected and they see. Additionally, each had their individual hopes and expectations for their reading. Let’s take a look at how they differ and how it affected their readings.
 
Aunt A. She has a long standing favorite reader. This reader is soft spoken and gentle which brings comfort to my aunt. She goes into the reading with one thing in mind, hearing from her mother. My grandmother has been gone for more than forty years, but the wound is still very raw for my aunt. Each year my aunt goes hoping to hear from for her and obtain some closure. Unfortunately, my grandmother rarely (if ever) makes an appearance. Instead, my grandfather (the loud mouth he is) comes in to dominate the conversation. Such was the case last week. And while this time, her mom was present – she again was disappointed she didn’t hear more from her.
 
Let’s talk about Aunt B. Unlike the aunt I just spoke about who went in to communicate with her mom, this aunt was less interested in hearing from her loved ones. Instead, she was hoping to receive guidance regarding some challenging circumstances in her life. Unfortunately, she did not receive the information she was hoping for. Instead was informed the future had to play out and she couldn’t control the outcome. I’m not sure who she saw, but it should also be known that some Lily Dale mediums (as Spiritualists) don’t provide predications as loved ones only know what they know.
 
Finally, my mom. Let me first state that admittedly I only have her perspective. She is the one who shared the experiences of the day. But from what she recounted to me, she had the best experience. Family members she hoped for showed up. Family members she never knew also showed up. Why? She went in without any preconceived notions. There wasn’t one person she wanted to hear from. She didn’t have burning questions with answers she needed to hear. Instead she went in with an open mind and as a result she walked away happy. She was even more pleased when sharing her experience with Aunt B to discover “Ruth,” a family member on her mother’s side she could not place, did in fact exist.
 
So what are the take-aways? How can you use this example to get a better reading?

1. Don’t have expectations (or hopes) for who might show up. You can pray to him or her and ask that he or she show up, but be prepared for him or her not to show. Doesn’t mean he or she doesn’t love you, doesn’t mean that he or she isn’t at peace or in heaven, just means he or she isn’t picking up the phone that given day.
2. Don’t dismiss a Spirit you can’t place. Relative amnesia happens ALL the time. So just because you aren’t able to place the person at the time, doesn’t mean he or she isn’t family or a loved one. Mom didn’t know Ruth, but sure enough the school teacher was a family member.
3. If you can’t place a Spirit, don’t dismiss the medium and assume he or she is “wrong.” Yes, there are bad readers out there… in fact there are frauds out there. And even the “good” readers have bad days. But know, the reader knows it is hard to be you and sometimes it takes time to connect the dots.
4. Go in with an agenda, but don’t go in looking for specific answers. Those answers may or may not be there for you.
5. Above all else, listen. Listen with your ears and your heart. The energy speaks volumes.