While visiting with a friend recently, an interesting conversation ensued after she asked, “Dawn, do kids bring in <spiritual> energy?”
 
You might be asking, where did this question come from? Here’s her story…
 
When her eldest, who is just a little over two, was born she and her husband noticed odd occurrences around the house that indicated to them someone or something was around. After a while, she attributed these occurrences to her uncle. Upon doing so, the occurrences slowed and she found comfort in this.
 
Being spiritual, she expected upon the birth of twins recently that she would have sporadic visits similar to what occurred after her eldest was born. She was prepared for that. What actually happened was not what was expected.
 
With the twins, not only were the signs more defined – for example musical toys would go off for no reason and orbs were captured on video – these happenings occurred ALL THE TIME. Her husband said it best when he said, “There is no interpreting or intuiting these things, they are just fact.”
 
After recognizing the occurrences were harmless, she and her husband accepted them as just the way it is.
 
What was harder to accept was what was happening to her. While pregnant, her intuition flourished. She felt and sensed more than she ever had before. After the boys were born, things began to change and she found that SHE was having sensory stimulation others weren’t.  The smell of stale smoke and bad cologne would permeate the house. Despite searching the home for the source, she could find nothing. She also started hearing voices, like a muffled radio. Again she searched the house, but she couldn’t find the sounds coming from anywhere. There were also times she would swear she heard the boys, but upon checking the monitor they were sound asleep… for a few minutes at least, because without a doubt, within minutes of checking on them – someone was up.
 
These occurrences disturbed her. She thought she might be going a crazy or something was physically wrong. Worried, she discussed it with her neurologist who diagnosed her with having incomplete seizures and put her on a medication.
 
The medication dulled the experiences… but they continued. And, they expanded. Others began to experience them as well.
 
Her husband began smelling the smoke. As did her sister and her significant other while they stayed at the house while the family was away. It was at this point she began questioning, what’s really going on.
 
Hence her question to me.
 
And getting back to it, YES – babies welcome spiritual energies into the home. Most new parents can recount a time during their child’s first year when something inexplicable happened (check out this blog to see my mom’s experience). Some parents embrace it and take comfort in the knowledge that a loved one is around. Others dismiss it as lack of sleep and a wild imagination. Either way, almost every new parent has an experience.
 
In my friend’s case, her experience has been multiplied as there are two babies (three really). Hence the profound physical occurrences and it seeping over to her and her husband.
 
The bleeding into her and her husband’s experience is because they are innately intuitive. So even before the boys, they were susceptible to paranormal activity (which both admit to having experienced). Then you add her pregnancy, which further connects a woman to the other side. No wonder so much is going on in their home.
 
Fortunately, nurtured by the love of their parents, this energy is only good and protective. The more they cultivate this energy, the stronger it becomes.

​As a medium, I have the great pleasure of witnessing the love between individuals that literally extends beyond death. Unfortunately, in the world that we live where we experience travesties like the Orlando shooting that occurred this month, it is sometimes hard to remember that love remains. This past weekend, I was reminded of that love as I presided over a wedding for two very special people that transcended time and space – it just needed to find the right time.
 
Jim and Mandy, the couple I married, dated in high school. They were sweethearts and each-others first great love.
 
I was blessed to witness that coupledom. You see, I went to high school with them. Mandy and I graduated the same year. We went to an average sized high school, about 1600 students, so you “knew” just about everyone. But while we ran in similar circles; the three of us were in marching band together; we weren’t really friends. I do recall, however, Jim and Mandy were one of the marching band “It” couples. It was hard to deny they shared something special.
 
But is often the case with high school romances, they end. Jim and Mandy were young. They were foolish. They had their whole lives ahead of them. Lots of experiences to have, and mistakes to make. It wasn’t the time for them to find “the one.”
 
So Jim and Mandy went their separate ways. Jim joined the Navy and moved away. Both married. Both had children – three boys between the two of them! Both Jim and Mandy’s marriages ended. Both ended up back in Buffalo.
 
And in 2009, they reconnected. To each of their surprise, they found that spark, that love they shared in high school was STILL there.
 
Not able to deny the chemistry, they started dating. But both, having come from broken marriages, found it hard to be vulnerable. For the relationship to grow, both had to heal from their past relationships and navigate the new norm of raising boys with their now exes. In addition, not only did Mandy have to get to know the new Jim and Jim had to get to know the new Mandy, but Mandy also had to get to know the new Mandy and Jim had to get to know the new Jim. They had to find themselves again. AND, because they each had their respective children, they had to find where they fit into each-other’s lives.
 
It was hard stuff. And while they moved in together. It was not the time for marriage. While love grew… trust was harder to gain.
 
You see as time progressed, Mandy was drinking. A LOT. Jim loved her. She loved him. He supported her. But he didn’t trust her. Nor did she really trust herself. Mandy is the first to admit she wasn’t dependable – no one knew if it would be a good day or a bad day, so it was easier not to count on her. So while they were sticking it out, marriage wasn’t in their plans.
 
Then Mandy got sober. She attended AA and took care of (and began to love) herself. And things began to change.
 
The foundation of love, respect and trust was built. With her sober for more than two years, timing was FINALLY right. This Saturday, they were wed. Still crazy in love.
 
It is apparent that Spirit had a role in this. It is also apparent that divine timing definitely played a role in this.  
 
What is also apparent is, divine timing did not occur as that momentary lightning strike. Instead, it was composed of a lot of hard work (and I’m sure laughter and tears) by both Jim and Mandy.
 
They both needed to evolve individually and as a couple (and now as a family). They weren’t ready in high school, or in 2009 when they started dating again, or even in 2014 when Mandy got sober – rather it took until now. Like the song Mandy walked down the aisle to, God Bless the Broken Road, the obstacles brought them back together.
 
So next time you find yourself trying to hurry events along, or complaining that circumstances aren’t playing out like you’d like them to. Remember everything happens for a reason and pause for a minute and reflect on what you may be rushing and ultimately missing out on.

​My heart broke for a dear friend when she encountered prejudice regarding her acceptance and belief in mediumship recently. She had innocently posted on her Facebook timeline, “If I was to have a gallery reading party with a medium at my house, who would be interested?”
 
Almost immediately, she received the following response, “Please don’t. Don’t bring that into your home. You may not understand what you are inviting in.”
 
This blatantly negative, unaccepting and public response brought tears to my friend’s eyes as the individual who wrote this is considered a good friend. It also struck a chord with her because SHE and HER daughter are incredibly intuitive. And it has not been an easy journey to acceptance.
 
When I met my friend, she was skeptical (and afraid) of her own gifts. But, because she witnessed her daughter’s stress and anxiety manifesting physically (she was a lip and nail biter) due to her empathic and intuitive abilities, she has worked hard over the years to embrace the gifts; if not for herself, for her daughter.
 
And you know what? Embracing those gifts worked! Not only have the physical symptoms resolved in her daughter, but she has experienced better health (minus a few falls) as well!
 
Due to the positive impact this has had on her and her family’s life, she now works to educate and introduce spiritualism to her friends and family. Hence the question, “who would want to come?”
 
I applaud her for her courage as sharing, sometimes controversial beliefs, is hard. And I weep for her for being met with a hostile environment.
 
But I didn’t need to weep for too long, for she advocated and explained her beliefs to the woman. And asked her not to agree with or embrace the concept, but rather accept that this is HER belief and trust in her knowing that it comes from a place of love and respect.
 
Unfortunately, my friend was met with continued criticism and encouraged to “Take a look in your Bible, you will see that it is advised against.” It saddens me that one woman’s beliefs cloud her judgment and acceptance of another’s, especially one she considers a friend.
 
Now I have to admit, I am not overly familiar with the entirety of the Bible. But, what I have been told by good Catholics is: “Yes the Bible offers warnings for false soothsayers. But, the Bible also speaks of people with special gifts. Those that are able to communicate with Angels and Spirits of the departed. Some of whom have been canonized as Saints. It is not the gift that is to be cautioned against, it is the person.”
 
I was pleased to see this sentiment echoed by several other of my friend’s friends. One even spoke of Spiritualism and how the beliefs of that religion has brought her closer to God. To Spiritualists, mediumship is PART of their religion. If you are not familiar with Spiritualism, two of the major principles are 1) “We affirm that the existence and personal identity of the individual continue after the change called death” and 2) “We affirm that communication with the so-called dead is a fact, scientifically proven by the phenomena of Spiritualism.” Due to these tenets, demonstrations of mediumship are conducted at every single Spiritualist service.
 
This situation, while I like to live in my bubble and believe this is the exception to the norm, makes me wonder if my experience of acceptance is actually the exception. I hope in what I do, I can continue to educate, inform and inspire. What pleases me, is I think what I am doing is working as I’m already seeing a ripple effect. My friend stood up for her beliefs despite the hostility and let love and her truth shine.

​My dear friend had a little girl in November. This little Scorpio is beautiful (love her big blue eyes), happy (love her coos) and independent. At two months she is already demonstrating her mother’s independence and the strong will she showed when she visited the table tipping table before she was even here.
 
My friends have been blessed with her. And, for the most part she has been an easy baby.
 
Since she has been born, her mom and dad have been brought to tears more than once trying to feed and put weight on her.
 
Their plan had been to breastfeed. But due to a number of obstacles, despite their valiant efforts, mom and baby were unsuccessful. And little one grew slowly.
 
So they transferred the baby over to a diet that consisted solely of formula. Success! They were FINALLY getting on a consistent feeding schedule. Baby Girl was eating well. Most importantly, she was finally gaining weight.
 
But then something changed. Baby Girl’s formula intake dramatically decreased and she would eat no more than an ounce at a time. She was also becoming crankier. The fussiness would hit a point when she would then take more than a whole bottle. And then the cycle would continue.
 
Exhausted and concerned (especially because she is returning to work in the near future), my friend came to me and said, “Dawn… do you think you can you talk to her? Find out what is wrong?”
 
The question hadn’t even finished leaving my friend’s mouth when this cute little voice responded, “It’s different. I liked the other better.”
 
It was amazing how clearly she spoke. Feeling like the Baby Whisperer, I relayed the message.
 
At first, the message didn’t make sense. Unfortunately, I could provide no more details. That evening however, it clicked. My friend realized she had changed the type of water she was using. To test the theory, she changed the water back. Sure enough, her little ate a little more. Not perfect, but getting there.
 
Watching my friends (who are intuitive mind you!) struggle to figure out their little one’s wants and desires makes me feel so blessed to have the communication I do with my own Baby Girl. I don’t know how people manage without spidey senses!!! They have made life sooooooooo much easier.
 
I also feel blessed that my friends’ baby is already turning to me, Aunt Dawn, to convey some of those messages. I hope as she grows up I’ll be able to remain one of her confidants. And, hopefully teach her and her mom to use their intuition to communicate more. 

People ask me when I’ll know if the “gift” of mediumship has been inherited by Baby Girl. It’s my belief that all children are born intuitive and instinctively aware of the energies around them. From my observations, this is the case with my daughter.

It became apparent early that she is sensitive to energy. On the winter solstice, she was carted along to a meditation I was leading. In honor of the solstice, a celebration of the darkness and new beginnings, the meditation walked those present into their own darkness and the realm of their fears. A visualization of the light around you fading into pitch blackness was used. When we got to the point in the meditation where people were encouraged to see all the lights go out and sit in the darkness of their fears, Baby Girl who was sleeping comfortably was startled awake and began screaming… was it a coincidence? Perhaps… I, however, think not.

She continues to demonstrate her awareness of the energies around her, especially those of people. The other day we were at a friend’s home for a BBQ. When their eighteen month old son fell and started crying, she did not start crying with him (like most ten month olds would). Rather, she pushed against me (I was holding her) towards him in an effort to climb out of my arms to give him a hug, pat on the back and kiss as if to say, “It’s ok friend.”

Again, could it be a coincidence? Could she be mimicking our behavior? Perhaps. My husband and I will continue to watch… but I’m pretty sure she’s in tune with energy.

Being in tune with energy is one thing, but what about Spirits you ask? Can she see them?

Well, I’m pretty sure she does…

While changing Baby Girl’s diaper one day when she was about two and a half months… the tired, exhausted and annoyed at my kicking, fussy Baby Girl me was pleased to have grandmother pop in (from ‘heaven’) to lend me, if nothing else, a loving word of support. It had been a long, tough day (Baby Girl was in the middle of a growth spurt and NOTHING was making her happy) so the soft words of encouragement were VERY MUCH appreciated. In an effort to lend a little more help, she turned to make faces and soothe Baby Girl. As soon as her attention moved from me to my little one, Baby Girl’s head snapped to gaze directly in my grandmother’s direction. Baby Girl then proceeded to giggle and grab at the air toward where my grandmother was standing.

Again, could this be a coincidence? Am I reading more into the situation that exists? Perhaps… But again, I doubt it.

So what about psychic tendencies? We won’t be able to start determining that until she can talk, right? You’d think…. But we’ve already had some instances, without words mind you, she’s let us know what’s on her mind.

For example, my dear friend is pregnant. As with any pregnancy, people like to guess what the gender of the baby is. Before she got pregnant, I was certain she was going to have a little girl. Once she became pregnant however, I changed my vote to little boy…. which was the consensus amongst folks. Not Baby Girl. The day before my friend’s ultrasound to reveal the gender, the three of us were out and we decided to get Baby Girl’s input. When asked, “Are you going to have a cousin Hunter?” Upon hearing the name, she scrunched her nose and grimaced. So we asked, “What about a Hannah?” To which she gave a HUGE grin and a giggle. At that moment, I turned to my friend and said, “Baby Girl thinks it’s a Hannah.” And you know what, she was right! The next day I received a text from my friend sharing the good news. It’s a girl.

Baby Girl was right then, and now she’s adding her two cents towards the gender of another friend’s pregnancy. She is currently pregnant with twins and we thought it would be fun to see what Baby Girl’s thoughts are, so we asked about Lili and Piper. When asked she looked right at my friend’s belly. The movement was so dramatic, we were flabbergasted. So we asked again. And she did it AGAIN. So we thought we’d try Wyatt and Dylan. She just blew raspberries. Looks like if she’s right, there are another two girls on the way. We’ll see how her skills for predicting go… either way, I think I’m in trouble!!

So… perhaps I’m a biased parent. But, it is my opinion she is sensitive… as most children are. Could that change? Absolutely…. but, not if I can help it. Now it’s just my job to nurture it and make sure she remains aware.

Some people are weirded out by me in that they incorrectly believe I’m always reading them. Because I believe that reading a person without his/her permission is no better than eavesdropping, my rule of thumb is that unless asked, I don’t read you. My family and friends know my rule. So does Spirit. Fortunately, MOST of the time, Spirit abides by this policy. However, every now and again a message is deemed by Spirit to be so important that they break my rule. That was the case today.

I was in my reading room preparing for the arrival of a couple of clients when my light meditation was interrupted by the ding dong of the doorbell. In that moment, a card from the tarot deck I was shuffling fell out. When a card jumps from the deck it is usually significant, so I peeked at the card – the seven of swords. To me, this card means the sitter needs to watch his/her back while at the same time leaving part of his/her arsenal behind. I cringed thinking “Eek, this will be a fun reading…”

After a few moments when my husband hadn’t ushered a client into my reading room I listened intently. I then heard a familiar giggle, our friend Courtney had stopped by. GREAT as if it wasn’t bad enough that I’d have to pass the message to a client, this card and message was for a friend who hadn’t asked for a reading!  Splendid…

Knowing I had only a couple of minutes before my clients arrived, I flew into the house waving the card like a mad woman. I can only imagine what my husband and friend thought as I imagine I looked much like Helena Bonham Carter playing Bellatrix Lestrange in the Harry Potter series as in an exasperated shout I exclaimed, “I have a message for you… do you want it or not?”

Fortunately, my friend was gracious and receptive to the message. After dumping it at her feet, my clients arrived and I was back to work…

*Update: A couple days later my friend text me “OMG, Dawn what you said was going to happen just did! I heeded your warning. Thank you!” As I mentioned at the beginning, Spirit knows when it's okay to break my rules... it appears, this was an instance where it was. 

A few years ago, it seemed like everyone I knew was getting married. We’ve now moved into the “Age of Babies.”

Despite being told by medium after medium that a little girl was in my future, I never really understood the desire to have babies.... Babies are NOISY, smelly, and expensive, not to mention a parent can forget about ever sleeping soundly through the night again or spending frivolously on themselves. That being said, having a baby was never something I saw as my purpose.

That doesn’t mean I don’t like babies. I have been very happy for my friends who welcomed their little bundles of joy into the world. And thoroughly enjoy buying gifts for the little rugrats. I even empathize for those women who desire a child but struggle to conceive.

That has been the case with two of my closest friends. 2013 was a roller coaster for them as they tried time and time again but conception continuously eluded them. About half way through the year, both were about ready to give up. It was at that time Spirit spoke. The message? “They are coming, THREE at the same time.”

The only word I could utter in that moment was “Shit….” followed very quickly by, “Hell’s NO!”

How could Spirit honestly believe the three of us would be pregnant at the same time? Don and I had decided we weren’t having children – and it was completely unfair to tie the children together. But the message kept coming (check out future blogs to see how!) and the guilt set in. Although they told me, “Dawn it’s not your fault,” their looks said otherwise. So after being barraged with the message and seeing my friends’ continued disappointment. Don and I decided to give Spirit three months during which we wouldn’t prevent anything, but we also would facilitate it figuring if it happened, it’s meant to be... if not, Spirit tough luck you had their chance.

In early January, my friend was surprised to find out she was pregnant! It happened without her evening trying. From that point on, every time I shuffled my deck of tarot cards, the three of cups jumped out at me with the message – three at the same time. 

It was on January 17th, the message took its next step at becoming reality. I… am… PREGNANT.

Needless to say, my other friend is doing a dance for joy right now knowing that it will happen soon – three at the same time was what was prophesized afterall! And, the three of cups still keeps popping out… with a new message: “Leo, Virgo, Libra – perhaps Sagittarius?” We’ll see!

And for those of you who are wondering, my biggest fear right now is… will my baby start talking to me from the womb? And what do I do then??

One of my favorite sayings (and I apologize if I’m being redundant) is: “What you don’t see with your eyes, don’t invent with your words.”

As a medium, it is important that I embrace this philosophy. People come to me not only to connect with their loved ones, but also seeking sage advice or words of wisdom. This has become apparent the past couple weeks, here’s an example.

A close friend, Mitch, attempted suicide the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Fortunately, unlike my step brother, Mitch was unsuccessful and we (my husband and I) have been able to offer support to both him and his new wife.

In an effort to get Mitch home for the holiday, he was released into the custody of his mother, a psychiatric nurse, Wednesday. Mitch and Courtney, his wife, stayed at his parent’s home through the holiday. On Black Friday, it was back to the daily grind and his family had places to be. To ensure his friend wasn’t alone, Don visited him. Knowing this and extending the time before she returned to her in-laws, Courtney, after getting off of work reached out to me.  Hearing the tears and frustration in her voice, I invited her over to talk.

We hugged. She cried. I listened. And then Spirit (as they so often do), spoke.

Through me they expressed concerns about situations/issues that she and Mitch were likely to encounter in the coming days. This included a forceful message that at this time, they needed to stand united not divided. She and her husband are still newlyweds (only 3 months!!) this would be a defining moment for the two of them. Spirit encouraged them to work and make decisions together, rather than allowing his strong-willed family (did I mention he’s Latino) run the show.

No sooner had the message passed my lips, her phone rang! It was her husband and she was immediately presented with a situation Spirit had cautioned her about. When I heard her echoing the message (albeit rawer), I recognized the impact words can have and was reminded of the responsibility being a messenger of Spirit brings!!

That being said, I, despite the fall-out and struggles Courtney and Mitch have faced as a result of her decisions for them, stand by what was passed through me that day. It was pure and from Spirit. However, it reinforced the importance of being able to recognize my thoughts from those presented by Spirit and not interpret what the message means… only then, can I stay true to Spirit’s intention. Because although I consider myself wise and some would put me (and other mediums) on a pedestal, I’m NOT God. And if I insert my thoughts or feelings, I stand to corrupt Spirit’s message and the results can be devastating. So, at this point I’ll repeat – “What you don’t see with your eyes, don’t invent with your words.”