 Having been an intuitive child and knowing that ALL children are extremely connected with the Spirit world, I was mentally prepared to have an intuitive child. I thought it would be easy… I’m the EXPERT after all.
What a joke!! While I may have been mentally prepared knowing I had tools in my toolkit to help my child embrace her intuition, I recently came to the realization I am NOT emotionally prepared to raise an intuitive child. I also have a new appreciation for parents who are struggling with intuitive kids, who I lovingly call kids that see sparkles. What brought on this realization? It was a normal day. My husband, daughter and I were in the car taking a route we ALWAYS take. You see we live just off Harlem Road in Snyder, if we want to go almost anywhere in Buffalo the easiest route is hopping on the highway at the 33/90 interchange. From this interchange we can go east or west, north or south. We take this route all the time so drive down the stretch of Harlem at least once a day. Why is this route important? If you are familiar with it, you know that this route takes you past Mount Calvary Cemetery. This is a sizable cemetery and as an aside it is where several of my family members have been laid to rest. Now that you have the background, to the story. As I said, it was a normal day. We were taking my daughter to her sitter’s and I was going to my East Aurora office. My husband and I were sitting in the front seat discussing the days to-do list. Everything was routine… that is until we hit the cemetery and an ear-piercing shriek came from the back seat. If you’ve watched some of my videos you know my daughter likes to interrupt when she is not the center of attention (she’s 2!! What do you expect?), so when the shriek came from the back seat I initially thought she wanted us to pay attention and talk to her. In an order to appease her, I addressed her and continued the conversation with my husband. This usually calms her. It didn’t in this situation. Instead, she let out another shriek and then started babbling incoherently to herself. Unable to understand what she was saying as she was talking faster than normal and her pronunciation (again, she’s 2) isn’t always great, I assumed she was ok and turned back to the conversation (we had a busy day scheduled and lots on the agenda to discuss). But soon I realized this wasn’t a normal conversation. My daughter was getting more and more anxious and louder and louder. Then a couple words became clear. “Ghost!!! No. Go way, Ghost! You bring Rodney? No? Go way Ghost.” My husband and I looked at each other. Each of us were white and dumb-founded. And then we looked out the window and realized that we were driving past the cemetery. I was not prepared for this. Momma bear mode kicked in. I wanted to protect my baby. So, I pulled my tools out of my toolkit and immediately bubbled the car, asked my guides to step in and serve as the bouncers, tuned in to see what ghosts that were in the car and then forcefully instructed them to get out (with a few choice words about not bothering my daughter ever again). But in the midst of doing that I stopped. I realized, “wait, baby girl is protecting herself.” She didn’t need me to do it for her AND more importantly me doing it for her didn’t empower her to take care of herself. She NEEDS to know how to protect herself. I’m not going to be with her all the time after all. So just as quickly as I jumped into action, I stopped. Instead, rather than protecting her I encouraged her to tell the ghosts to go away. As a mother, the time it took to pass the cemetery (which as it just so happens, we decided to go all the way down to Walden that day to stop for a coffee) was the longest few minutes I’ve had in a while. Time creeped. But she (and I) made it through. And she is better because of it. More importantly, I have confidence that next time a spirit decides to pop in baby girl is equipped to deal with it. Just like me, it is likely your kids will have an experience you want to help them with. Be it with a spirit, with a friend or the playground bully. They, like my baby girl, will get through it. If you find your kid is encountering spirits or things you can’t see, remind them that they have the power. Encourage them. Don’t show them your fear or anxiety, it will only cause them to doubt themselves. They are stronger than you think, and you are probably like me, trained them well for their encounters! Like I said at the beginning, I was prepared mentally… but emotionally, wow! Being a parent is hard!! 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?
 Penning One: Unleashing the Energy that Connects Us All, is an accomplishment I am proud of. Spirit was my inspiration and I feel honored to have been chosen to capture the important tenets put forth in the book.
But when I am honest with myself about my dreams for One, I’m only beginning to start on the journey. One to me is more than just how many copies I sell or how many people enjoy it. For me, it’s about creating a movement. Like in Harry Potter, when the kids come together as Dumbledore’s Army empowered to change themselves and not be held back by the regime, I dream of individuals coming together to break through the stigmas of intuition and ultimately normalize mediumship allowing people to live their purpose. I have been accused of being a dreamer and idealist (I AM an Aquarius after all). And this goal may be a tall order. But it is my hope. And, I believe while it is a stretch goal… it is possible. One person at a time. I believe it is possible because I’m already seeing the movement begin. How? As of right now, the book has been received by people in eight states. In about ten days, not too shabby. Not only that, because there have been so many pre-orders I had to order more books for the launch! It’s not only being shipped around the country, but individuals who have purchased and read the book are beginning to share it. My Facebook and Instagram feed have been filled with pictures and posts about the book. Who knows how far the reach has gone because of that? Most importantly, I see it in the conversations I have with people who have purchased the book. It is apparent to me that they have I read it… How do I know? They talk about the concepts discussed in the book. For example, my mother mentioned the archetypes, a client asked about life themes and knowing the difference between ego and intuition, and a friend has commented that she knows after reading the chapter on trust that she just has to stop doubting herself. I love hearing these comments as it shows they read the book. But, why I’m really smiling when they talk about it is because the way they are talking about the book demonstrates that something in the book resonated with them. It stuck and now they are applying it. And if you’ve read the book, you know this is important because thoughts become words which eventually become actions and ultimately a person’s truths. When these words become actions and truths, that’s when the movement really begins. A movement is beginning. It’s on its way folks. I’m excited to see what tomorrow brings. Drop into the Tewksbury at 249 Ohio Street on June 29th between 6pm and 9pm and be part of the movement. #WeAreONE  As a medium being able to communicate with the other side, I realize that I (and my colleagues) have a unique perspective on the world. Here are a few ways that I think mediums (and intuitives for that matter) see the world differently.
Death isn’t all that scary. Being able to communicate with loved ones on the other side makes it impossible NOT to believe in life after death. Knowing that there is something after this, especially because the feelings from the other side are so filled with love, it’s hard to fear death. That doesn’t mean that as a medium I want to die or that I want death to come any sooner. It also doesn’t mean that there isn’t some fear around death. I mean who doesn’t wonder, what will it be like? Will it hurt? The experience of death can be scary, what actually happens? But it is comforting to know that it isn’t the end, in fact it is really just another beginning. You are NEVER Alone. You thought having kids meant the end of alone time? HA! Wait until you let your intuition flow. Having my daughter barge in on me while taking a poop was nothing new as Spirits have been doing it for years!! A story I use as an example of this is a time in Gettysburg. My mother and I had just pulled into town and first stop was the museum. Soon as I got out of the car, boom a soldier was there. He didn’t’ leave my side, even when I went to the bathroom to get some quiet. In fact, this Spirit spoke to me the entire time I was in the bathroom. Shortly after, we decided to leave. While these invasions can be annoying, and at times embarrassing… i.e. the Spirit of my father-in-law standing at the end of my bed at an inopportune time… they can also be comforting. The presence of our loved ones no matter where they go lets a medium know there is always someone around and always someone to talk to. You are ALWAYS supported. With your loved ones and guides always around, it is impossible to not feel supported. They are the cheerleaders that keep you going. And while they may not always be able to give you what you want, on some level they are always able to give you what you need. In those times of struggle and pain, they are sending you love to pull you through. LOVE is the only thing that matters. In the physical world we live in, it is easy to get caught up in the material wants and needs of the world. You may strive to have more money in the bank a flashier car or bigger house. You may work towards being skinnier or physically fit and more beautiful. Or, you may spend countless hours working towards a better title to be revered and more successful. All of these things are great accomplishments and aid an individual towards achieving their life purpose, but that life purpose isn’t filled with what boxes you have checked off… it is filled with what you have loved. When Spirits come back and communicate with a medium, their messages aren’t filled with boasts about the accomplishments they had, rather it is for the people and things they loved. From the other side, all that matters are love and hope. For mediums, they realize this and strive to have what makes them happy. It’s OK to be Unhappy While a medium strives towards finding fulfillment through love and hope, he or she recognizes that in life one will not always be happy. There are going to be days where you feel sick as a dog. There are always going to be days when you are angry that your plans got thwarted or someone did something to hurt you. You are also going to have days when you are sad, whether it be the death of a loved one or the ending of a relationship. These things happen AND you aren’t going to like them. What makes a medium slightly different, is a medium accepts these down times. He or she doesn’t try to pretend everything is ok, rather he or she acknowledges the situation, honors it and works through it knowing that these negative situations happen for a reason. The medium also realized he or she may not know why it is happening other than it is part of the human existence to assist us in learning our life lessons. If we didn’t have lessons to learn, why would we be here on earth? We wouldn’t be. So sometimes, bad and frustrating occurrences have to happen. Those are a few ways a medium sees the world differently. What other ways do you think a medium sees the world? Put them in the comments below.  The book release party is a week away! I’m telling people the party is going to be epic. My daughter is telling people it is going to be “best party ever.” I’m hoping these signs are manifesting a great time. Because at this point, there is very little left for me to do but wait and pray that the hard work and my prayers pay off.
What is paying off, the coping skills learned during my post-accident speech and occupational therapy rehab. Thank you Shari and Lisa! Lists are made. The boxes upon boxes of stuff that will go with us to the event are organized, much like packing a home, where they will live once they get there. The food is ordered. We had our final run through with the manager on Tuesday and Tewksbury staff will take care of the snacks and beverages. My husband will pick up the cookies, cupcakes and doughnuts day of, then all we have to do is set that up! Easy peasey. The décor is taken care of. Thanks to the wonderful and talented Cassandra Boyd who provided us with fabulous direction, the venue should look beautiful. My husband (the crafty one) is putting the finishing touches on all the decor. Now all we have to hope is that all the measurements we took were correct and that when we get there Thursday we just have to plop everything is place. We have less than 3 hours to put everything up. We have been assured this is more than enough time. The giveaways are in process. Swag bags are prepped and ready to go. Fun swag guys!! Also, great door prizes folks! There are two wine baskets (a red and a white), two gift certificates (one for a reading with me and another from WillowLight), access to and materials for The Basics of Mediumship Online Classes, a complete set of One (book, workbook and CD), AND the Grand Prize of a Kindle Fire with One on it. These baskets are almost ready to go – unfortunately waiting on a couple items to come in. For example, the Kindle I proudly displayed on Instagram… that went back. Why? A new Kindle Fire was released the next day. Can’t give an old version away!! So we are just waiting on that. Most importantly, the books are in! I even ordered a few more copies… As you can see, pretty much all the aspects of the party I have control over are completed. The rest is in Spirit’s hands. What does that entail? Shoes… It’s a silly thing, but while I’ve got my party dress, I haven’t found shoes yet. That’s not entirely true, I do have a pair that will work. But, I have a vision in my head of the pair I want that would complete the outfit. What am I looking for? A pair of white and blue floral print pumps. I’ve looked but haven’t found them yet. If you see me in them on Thursday, you’ll know Spirit worked its magic. Flights… My dad and stepmother are flying in from Florida for the soiree. I’m excited, but have a little worry as their flight arrives on Thursday a little after 12noon. I’m not anticipating any problem or delay with the flight, but you never know and since we have a tight schedule and need to be at the venue around 3pm to set up… here is hoping everything is on time. And of course, we do have a Plan B – which reminds me I should let that person know he is Plan B! Weather… For any event, especially one that plans on having part of the event outdoors, this is always a concern. While rain won’t kaput the event as we do have ample indoor space, we have hired an extra bartender and plan on having a bar outside on the wharf allowing folks to enjoy the view of River Works and the River Fest Park. Not only that, for any of the kids that are attending we have bubbles, crayons, a hula hoop and balls to entertain them which would be hard to use indoors. So, while right now the forecast says Partly Cloudy, I’m praying to my Weather Guides that it stays that way. I’m not going to think too long about these concerns, because I’m sure it will be fine and that Spirit has my back. And, for those of you versed in the Law of Attraction, you know that worrying about those concerns makes it more likely they will occur. If nothing else, the day is going to be perfect! Hope you are able to join us, if you aren’t… tune in to Facebook Live. I will be Live Streaming periodically throughout the day in preparation for the event and throughout the evening.  When thinking about when to release One: Unleashing the Energy that Connects All, I decided June 15th would be the date. Why the 15th? It made sense as it was day 100 day of 100 videos in 100 days. What better capstone to the challenge?
So, June 15th became my self-imposed due date for the release of the book. With that date in mind, my husband and I worked with vendors to ascertain the last possible day files could be submitted for us to have printed materials in hand and ready to mail out to you great folks on June 15th. Each vendor indicated files needed to be submitted by June 6th. Not wanting to take a chance, as with this type of thing there are bound to be issues, we decided to shoot to have everything submitted by June 1st. And we did. It’s a good thing we submitted early, because we did hit some glitches. Uploading everything to Amazon’s CreateSpace was a breeze. Besides a few minor details that needed to be adjusted, we received notification that we were good to go. The system is obviously designed to be user-friendly. The same was not the case with the Special Edition copies. The Limited Special Edition copies of One are embossed with gold foil. To have the book imprinted with the gold foil, in addition to the cover file an additional file for placement of the gold foil was necessary. The requirements for this weren’t clear on the website. THANK GOD for my amazing graphic designed, Joe Babcock. He spoke with the company, and after getting in contact with the correct person it all got worked out. There were some file submission quirks that aren’t industry standard – all worked out… but, the hiccups set us back. The files submitted on June 1st weren’t approved for print until June 7th. This pushed the shipping date back from June 10th to the 14th… causing me to wonder (and worry), would the books get here by the 15th? While not as harrowing, we hit a glitch with the CDs as well. We were a little behind schedule CDs and didn’t get these files submitted until June 4th. Still a couple days before the June 6th deadline, or so we thought. Turns out, once everything was uploaded to the system, the shipping notification we received informed us that our parcel would arrive between June 16th and June 21st. Worried, and thinking we would need to expedite the order (a more than $70 difference) my husband called. The kind representative who he had been working with assured him the CDs would arrive by the 15th. With everything submitted, all we had left to do was wait. Books arrived from CreateSpace books arrived immediately. We had them in hand on June 7th. We left them in their boxes, unopened… waiting on the others to arrive. As the date creeped closer and closer to the 15th, I worried I might miss my deadline. On the 14th, I kept checking the tracking numbers and fretted the packages weren’t on their way. I hate missing a deadline, even if it is self-imposed. So, I prayed to Spirit. Asked the universe for a little help. And they did. On the morning of the 15th, the online tracking system indicated that the packages were on the truck and out to delivery. They were on their way. By 1pm, everything had arrived and with a little hustle everything was mailed. This is a testament that sometimes even with the best laid plans, you need a little extra help from the universe. Thank you, Spirit!!  After a reading recently, a client asked if she could take a few moments and ask about me. She, like many, asked how I receive information from the other side. Because this is a question I get a lot, I figured it would be a good topic for a Blog.
Before I can talk about how I perceive the information, let me first start clear up where the information comes from. As a medium, I connect with both your loved ones (deceased family members and friends) and the universe (spirit guides, guardian angels, etc.). Why do I choose to connect with both your loved ones and your guides? Well, I can. And more importantly, by doing so it provides you with greater insight. Your loved ones bringing through specific details about themselves provide concrete evidence that I am connecting with the other side and you. Knowing that your loved ones are with you can be comforting and bring closure. The reason I don’t limit myself to your loved ones however is that loved ones are limited to their opinions and insights. So while they offer loving advice, it doesn’t always mean it is good advice. That is where your guides and angels can step in. Since they know not only what you want but where you are meant to be, they can help guide you towards your life’s purpose. Now that you are clear on the who, I can explain the how. Explaining the who was important because how I receive information is different depending on where it is coming from. I’ll start by describing what it feels like to receive information from your loved ones. As a clairvoyant, I SEE your loved ones. When they step in with you they look a little like holograms. They have the shape and dimension, but it is evident they don’t have mass. I can shift my focus to look at their features and when I do the details become crisper. Often the loved one will guide me to specific features such as putting out their hands for me to look at or fluffing their hair. Similarly, they may give me an object or something to hold, look at. Similarly, if they are passing a message, I will sometimes see the message conveyed like a movie in my head. Hence why I tend to use a lot of analogies and metaphors. Because clairaudience, the ability to hear, is not one of my strongest I do not hear what they have to say. If I do hear, it is similar to my voice in the back of my head and I will hear a tune or a name. Clairsentience and clairempathy, meaning I feel their emotions and ailments rounds out the messages. And sometimes, I just know. That’s claircognizance – there is no explaining it. This is different than when I receive messages from your guides. The messages from your loved ones are very heavy of the visual messages. And while I CAN see your guides/angels and the messages they pass, I rarely do. Why? Because their form is irrelevant. Unless you are like myself, who has developed a clear vision of your guide I could tell you they look like anything. Additionally, your guides aren’t around for them (like your loved ones are) they are present to pass a message. Hence when guides step in it is an unshakeable knowing. You may be wondering if both guides and loved ones come in with a knowing, how do I tell the difference? And more importantly, how do I know it’s not just my opinion? Let me first address the question of my opinion. I know it is not my opinion because I rarely have enough information to form an opinion. I don’t see my clients that much. I don’t remember details of their readings. So, I don’t have enough to form an opinion. And if I do hear my opinion, it is in my own voice and is similar to the dialogue I have with myself in my head. It sounds and feels different. Loved ones and spirit guides also feel and sound different. Loved ones, because they are still evolving, have a heavier vibration than your guides. Think of it like the vibration that accompanies the sound of a timpani drum. Whereas the feeling of the universe through your guides or angels is more similar to the vibration that accompanies the sound of a piccolo. In addition to that, your loved ones will waffle on their opinions, your guides will not. Your guides speak with conviction. They may offer alternative solutions, but they always come back to a truth and conviction. That’s how I get my information. I hope this gives an insight into my world, and something to think about for you emerging mediums. Remember every individual will perceive the information in a slightly different way.  During a recent session, after passing a message I could tell the client didn’t like I off-handedly said, “You know I could be wrong.” This is my way of reminding the client that I am not perfect, I do misinterpret information and that he or she has free will, nothing is set in stone.
I share this information with everyone in my spiel before I start reading, so I was a little surprised when she followed my statement up with, “Are you often wrong?” It was a fair question. A question I know my husband, who does all my booking, gets often from folks inquiring about an appointment. Unfortunately, it is a hard question to answer. And although I know there are readers out there who report an accuracy rate, usually between 92.5% and 98%, on their websites, I’m not one of them. Why? I have no idea how to obtain that number. I conduct over a thousand individual sessions a year. I don’t know what happens after many of those readings. It makes me wonder if the readers who advertise an accuracy rate, how did they get to that number. Did they simply conduct an exit interview asking in that moment? That doesn’t seem representative of an accuracy rate. Did they follow up with each of their clients? That seems daunting? Or did they opt to take a small sample group and conduct a longitudinal study following that group? A sample group seems do-able. But then the scientist in me (thank you Allegheny) asks, how many people are in that sample? Is it one or two? Or is a fair sample size of 50 to 100? Again, this begins to become daunting. Is the group representative? Meaning, does it contain a mix of men and women, age ranges, exposure to the spiritual world, ethnic backgrounds, etc. Or is it a small select group of a niche population? The more diverse the group, the more representative that rate is. Lastly, I wonder how many times that small group is followed? Are they asked once after six months? Or are they followed for a longer span of time? The longer they are followed, again the more representative. Thinking of setting up the experiment makes my head spin!! That’s why it is unlikely I will ever tout an accuracy rate and why I have a hard time answering the question. I honestly don’t know if I am right 50% of the time or 96% of the time or even if it is only 10% of the time. I actually don’t know if anyone can truly know. In fact, sometimes it is better to be wrong than be right. A reading isn’t meant to tell you want to do. It’s meant to be inspirational, give you hope and get you thinking about what YOU want in your life. It is a glimpse of a snapshot in your life at this moment. As I mentioned at the start of this article, you have free will. With that, it makes it possible that what I see will change. So, what makes me trust that I’m right, or at least inspirational, most of the time? I have a number of repeat clients. I do keep statistics on that information. In a day, about 2/3rds of my clients are returning. Today is a perfect example. I have six clients. Five are repeats. The last one, is a referral. To be a repeat client or a referral means I must have done something right. It’s why I keep doing what I’m doing. Because of all of this, I’m not overly concerned with my accuracy rate. It is also why I am somewhat skeptical of people who tout a rate. If you are looking for a reader, ask your friends or family who they have seen and liked. That’s how you will find your best reader.  One: Unleashing the Energy that Connects Us All is at the printer. Special edition pre-orders will be mailed out within the week. The party to celebrate the book release is a little more than three weeks away.
Why throw a party for One? Selfishly, the completion of One is an accomplishment I am proud of ME. My academic pursuits didn’t go as planned. When I graduated from college, it went by relatively unnoticed. I didn’t celebrate it. I didn’t feel I needed to or wanted to. If you’ve read my blogs, you know my college career was interrupted by a car accident. After working to regain my physical health, I returned to school at SUNY Empire State College and I picked away at my remaining courses. I worked on my degree while working full time and building my business on the side, so the passion I once had for my classes wasn’t present. I worked towards the degree not because I had a desire to learn, but because I felt I needed the degree. We live in a society where that piece of paper, for better or worse, opens doors. I was further disconnected to the investment in the degree as Empire State is an online school. As such, my entire degree was completed virtually. I didn’t know my classmates. I didn’t know my professors. I didn’t even know my mentor. Compared to my time at Allegheny, where I had amazing relationships with my classmates, my professors, my hallmates, my sisters, the college community, the experience I had completing my degree was impersonal. If I had chosen to walk, I would have been walking with strangers. That didn’t appeal to me. So, when my diploma arrived, my husband and I opened a bottle of wine and toasted. The diploma was then filed away and my life continued. This is different. It is my work of art. It is my physical demonstration, much like a degree, of my hard work. In some ways, for me this represents my value. And, I want to celebrate that. I want to celebrate my Oneness. But, unlike at Empire State where I didn’t feel connected to my peers nor did I feel their investment with me, when it comes to One – I feel a connection to each of you (emotional intuition), connection to the environment and world around me (physical intuition) and my connection to the universe (spiritual intuition), I want to celebrate that Oneness. That is what this book is about, at least in part, after all. Without connection, this book wouldn’t exist. Without the support and encouragement of each of you, I wouldn’t have written the book. Without the guidance from the universe, I’d still be looking at a blank sheet of paper. For these reasons, and so many more, I want to celebrate the You and the One that connects us all. If you are free on June 29th from 6pm – 9pm, please come out to the Tewksbury Lodge at 249 Ohio Street, Buffalo 14204. Feel free to drop in and filter out. Wine and beer will be on the house, so please RSVP. Additionally, there will be food, giveaways and good times. If you aren’t able to attend, check out Facebook. I will be Live Streaming the event. The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom is one of my favorite books? Why? Because it is an uplifting reminder of my life.
If you aren’t familiar with the book, the story follows the afterlife of Eddie. He has passed and before he can cross into heaven he needs to meet five people. These five individuals are people he never would have expected to greet him, they crossed his path and he only faintly remembered them. They however remembered him. The lesson in the book is that small actions we take impact people more than we know. This story resonates with me because unlike a psychologist or life coach who sees his or her clients on a weekly or monthly basis, as a medium that’s not my role. In fact, there are clients I know I will see only once, others that come in bursts and I help them work through an event and then years go by, others that wait for the itch, and some who make it an annual visit. Only the minority are more frequent than that. Because of the infrequent nature of my work, I don’t always get to witness my client’s personal evolution. The book reminds me that an individual doesn’t need to know they had an impact on someone’s life to make a distinct and monumental impact. And please don’t get me wrong. My job is amazing and rewarding. I wouldn’t choose anything else. In each session I am pleased with the love from your loved ones and the universe. That is the BEST feeling in the world. Not only that, I see the change in people when they leave my office. I receive beautiful cards and emails that always make me smile. And I do have many repeat clients, many who gush over their last reading and recall how their life has evolved. It is beautiful. It's the best, however, when I actually get to witness the evolution. This weekend, I did. I was welcomed back into the home of a couple I’ve known for about the last six years. When I first met them, they were living in a small upstairs apartment. It was obvious they were not only madly in love but that they were working towards a future together. The next time I saw them, I wasn’t surprised to learn they had gotten engaged. Not only that, they had moved from the upstairs apartment into the larger downstairs apartment and a beautiful pup had joined their family. They truly were building that life together. During this meeting, I was honored when they asked that I officiate their wedding. Of course I said YES, and that winter they were wed. Over the years they’ve continued to welcome me into their home, so fast forward a couple years to when I welcomed into their new home and met their newest addition, a beautiful baby girl. I continue to be part of this couple’s family, even the furbaby who was a little uncomfortable with the spirits I would bring with me has warmed up. This weekend I was there again. Their home is more beautiful than ever, their little one is growing like a weed and I wouldn’t be surprised if the next time I see them there is another little one. It was a wonderful blessing to be able to see. But as Albom demonstrates in the book, to lead a fulfilling and meaningful life you don’t need to keep score and be able to measure the good deeds you have done and the impact you have had. Sometimes by not knowing, but just being a good person, you have an even greater impact.  Being in the right place at the right time is something I love about being a medium. It makes my life easier as I don’t have to take extra time to run from here to there and coordinate efforts.
Let’s use this example that occurred yesterday to demonstrate the point. As the Book Release Party is just around the corner (June 29th – RSVP here), I was excited when my flyers and postcards announcing the event arrived from the printer in yesterday’s mail. With these in hand and the book at the printer, I can send out press kits and invitations, and promote the heck out of this event. I’m planning on an EPIC party. One of the first places I needed to get advertising out was at WillowLight. After looking at the calendar and seeing that there are several events before I planned on being in the office next, I decided my husband and I would swing by before we grabbed my daughter from the sitter. On the way down the road, my husband asked, “Do you want to stop at WillowLight first? Or, would you prefer we run our errands near the mall and then hit the offices before we grab Baby Girl?” It didn’t matter to me, so my husband decided stating, “I don’t know why, but I think we should do our shopping first.” This was an opportune decision. When we pulled into WillowLight, we were surprised to see a full parking lot as there was nothing on the calendar. Turns out, Buffalo Underground had a pet communicator in and the class had just let out. Perfect timing as it allowed me to bump into Judy Hartke (the owner of WillowLight) AND Melanie (Buffalo Underground). Both were people I wanted to get the invitations in the hands of. Judy, because as a co-sponsor she is helping to promote the event. Melanie, because I wanted to make sure she was personally invited to the shin-dig. Talk about being in the right place at the right time! Had we not swung by or swung by earlier, we would have missed both. By arriving when we did, I was saved from running around. Thank you, Don, for listening to your intuition… see it’s not just me who is a medium. Everyone is!  I’m writing this blog as I sit in my temporary office space at Santosha. If you have watched this video, you know that I am here because my home office is currently being remodeled. From that video, you may also know that Santosha is located in the same space that had once been my midwife’s office. It is interesting sitting here. The year I was pregnant, I spent A LOT of time in this office. For those who have been pregnant, you know there are a lot of appointments with the provider. Once a month, then every other week, and the last month once a week… which after my due date was every couple of days. During each of those visits, my husband and I spent an hour conversing with our midwife – yes a WHOLE hour, the beauty of my provider’s model of care – while she alleviated any fears and checked the progress of the little one. But, now while I observe the space, it feels odd… not bad, just different. It isn’t because the physical space has changed all that much. A wall has been put up to create an office where my midwife’s desk had once been. That’s about the only change. In fact, I think the colors are the same! The energy however, is much different. I attribute this to both Khristeena Kingsley (my midwife) and Angela Hewett-Abt along with Don Scott (the proprietors of Santosha). Each of them have put their hearts and souls into this place to ensure the energy of the space meets their needs and expectations. And it shows. Recognizing that got me thinking about my own office space. It is a blank canvas for which I can create any energy I desire. Fortunately, there is already a lot of good juju in the space. I have been doing readings out of it for seven years after all. But with the renovation there is time for rejuvenation. The first comes with color. The one painted wall had been green. And while color doesn’t need to change to create new energy, as you know I thought my new space called for a new color and you guys got to choose! You spoke, I’m listening. I will be doing an accent wall in Rare Wine, a deep plum, and Grey Screen will cover the remaining walls. Plum is a wonderful color as it aligns with the third eye and crown chakra which will facilitate intuition. Great color for the space. Before I (or rather my contractor, PDQ gets to painting), I will write my intentions and hopes for the space on the walls. Terms like serenity, healing and intuition will be scrawled. By doing this, I am physically setting the intention. It’s a little thing, but it is amazing what it does. Once the room is completed, I will focus my attention to the flow of energy. When the furniture goes in, I will make sure neither I nor my client’s back will be facing the door. I’ll also pay attention to the décor. Crystals will be placed, subtly as I’m not a crystal junkie – my husband takes that title. I’ll make sure my fairy house is placed to the faeries liking. And any other accents I feel will be sprinkled throughout. I’m thinking I might be doing a run to Pier One for some throw pillows. Finally, the space won’t be ready to go until I bless it. I will go through and smudge, because smudging is not just about removing negative energy it is also about bringing in the positive. Come to think of it, I could christen it by smashing a bottle of champagne like they do with a boat. Naw, that’s a waste of a good drink instead I think I might just pop a cork. Have you made your space your own? If so, how?
When I started writing, the book I intended on penning looked NOTHING like the book it has become. At the time, I intended on writing about the basics of mediumship – grounding, protecting, centering and listening.
Why did I think I was going to write about the basics? There were several reasons which included:
But, alas, that book was not meant to be… this time at least. And, don’t worry… I didn’t scrap the copy. Rather, that material was put in a parking lot for another book. In fact, even upon the last review of this book two whole chapters got cut and pushed into a future book! So why did I change the premise of the first book? Well the premise of the book never actually changed. When I set out to write the book it was with the objective of writing to engage individuals who don’t think they are mediums. I wanted to reach the people who are “spiritual but not religious” and the people searching for something and aren’t sure to what or where to go. More importantly, I want to normalize mediumship by demonstrating EVERYONE is a medium. Unfortunately, I quickly realized this is something the basics would not do. Why? It’s simple. While I believe everyone is a medium. Yes – You and You and You and You – not everyone believes they are. Realizing this, I was stumped. How do I do that? Fortunately, my days in health care consumer engagement flashed before my eyes. As I reflected upon that work, I recalled that consumers could be divided into four categories: Phase One, the deer in the headlight who knew nothing about the topic and needed to be made aware; Phase Two, the individual who was aware but who lacked education; Phase Three, the folks who are engaged and want to take action, but just need a little assistance as they modify and adopt new behaviors; and, Phase Four, the individuals who are already doing it but might need a little assistance in maintaining their way of life. Upon remembering this, I smiled as I noted that everything we do in life prepares us for something. I also, I realized the book about basics would engage individuals in stages three and four. Not my target audience. So, before I could write a book about developing that intuition, even if it was a book about the basics, I needed to first write a book for the people still searching to figure it out. But what would engage people in stage one and two? That’s when I realized I would need to describe not only why one would want to use their intuition, but more importantly how it works. By describing how it works, I’m able to demonstrate why mediumship is not reserved for the special few but is something that is within us all. I would have been remiss, however, to leave this information without simple things to be aware of to enhance their intuition and trust it. And with that, One was born. Had I wrote the basics book first, those with an aversion to mediumship would have dismissed it and perhaps other books. One opens the door for them.  “You are psychic, you should know…” is a joke many of my clients make. Most of the time, I chuckle and don’t take any offense. My clients aren’t serious. They are making the joke to try and shake off their nerves. Every once in a while, however, someone is sarcastic and snarky while saying it. When they are, I inform them that I don’t play that game which gives the sitter the opportunity to bow out if they don’t want the reading (people are dragged to readings by loved ones!) but more often it nips the attitude in the bud.
But, because I do get that question, I thought in today’s Blog I would talk about being psychic. When one is psychic, there is the misconception that s/he knows everything. Not only does a psychic NOT know everything, but they also don’t WANT to know everything. Check out this video for more on that topic. Because a psychic doesn’t know everything, you may find that during a reading they ask you questions. For the skeptic, this is a red flag. Again, if they are psychic, shouldn’t they know? While I can’t answer why every reader asks questions during a reading, I can tell you why I may ask a question during a reading. At the beginning of my reading after my spiel, I always ask: Do you have any questions? This is not me asking, Why are you here? Although some do interpret it that way. In fact, I would rather NOT know why you are there. I would rather NOT know your life story. The less I know, the more authentic the reading will be and you are less likely to think I am just feeding you back what you have already told me. What I am asking when I ask "Do you have any questions?" is do you understand my process. And just because I don’t want to know a lot of information, doesn’t mean I don’t ask any questions. So what type of question do I ask? My most common question is: You have or are X, correct? For example, “you are married, correct?” Or “your father is in Spirit, correct?” You might think that these questions are meant to dig out personal information. It’s not. In fact, these questions, if asked, are inserted only after I have given you a great deal of information about a situation or person. And the reason I ask the question is this… I’m fairly certain I already know the answer. That’s why it is a statement phrased as a question. BUT, if I’m wrong and am misinterpreting the information, I will confuse the sitter. For example, say I’m sitting with a person and I receive information about a relationship and that information leads me to believe the person is married. I might ask that person if they are in fact married. If they are, I’m confirming the information and can move on. If they are not, I can describe the person I intuit is their partner more fully. The person I end up describing may be a significant other they have been with for years. Depending on the relationship, that person may even be a friend or sibling they live with. If I had called either of these people spouse, the sitter may have been confused or dismissed the information. When they say no and I describe the person more fully, they then may realize it is another person. By asking the question, it gives me the opportunity to clarify. It doesn’t mean I don’t know. It just means the information I am interpreting may need more explanation. Remember, interpreting the signs and feelings can sometimes be hard. So, I ask. But notice how I ask. I specifically ask a yes/no question. The reason it isn’t open-ended? I don’t want you to supply me with too much information. I simply want to make sure I am on the right track and you understand. Why would I need to do this? You’d be surprised how many people smile, nod and like a sponge soak in the information but are completely lost. If they are completely lost and walk away from the reading thinking I’m off my rocker, I’m not doing my job. Those are the questions I ask. There are a few questions I don’t ask, but depending on who is reading you, are completely valid.
Readers ask questions because they want you, the sitter, to get the best reading possible. They each also have unique methodologies and skill sets. In fact, many readers have developed skills in many of the intuitive arts from astrology, mediumship, numerology, palm reading, runes, psychic and tarot. Having all these skills, it is not uncommon for them to pull upon all the tools in their toolkit to give you a reading. For a better idea of what to expect, research the tools the reader uses, it may help you understand why they are asking the question.  One place the muses like to talk to me is in the shower.
If you watched this video, you know that the shower is a great place to receive messages. Not only is it one of the few times during the day when I have time for ME and MY thoughts, but water is also a great conductor of spiritual energies. Throughout my life, the conviction to move forward with important or creative decisions have always come to me while in the shower. For example, it was in the shower when I knew that my husband and I would find the house of our dreams. After the shower, I hopped online to search the MLS listings. Sure enough, there was our house. It was also in the shower when I had the inspiration for Where Is Dawn Lynn? The stroke of genius that occurred in those situations happen about once a month. That is until about two months ago. Since then, the muses have been working overtime. Every Single Time I hit the shower, my to-do list gets longer. In fact, my husband has told me he likes my stink and perhaps I should go longer between showers… I think he just doesn’t want HIS to-do list to get longer. Wondering what some of these inspirations have been? Here are a few examples: 100 Videos in 100 Days My husband had ordered me the book, Known by Mark Schaefer, for either my birthday or Valentine’s Day. I was in the midst of reading that. While in the shower I realized I needed more consistency in my YouTube presence and thought, huh? 100 videos in 100 days. I can do that! Told my husband the day it started… might be one of the reasons he would prefer I don’t shower, it tripled his work load. The Book Launch Shortly after starting the 100 videos in 100 days, I was inspired to launch One: Unleashing the Energy that Connects Us All. The book itself wasn’t a new concept. I’d been working on it for about a year. But, the moment the inspiration struck I had no plan on when to release it. But, I was inspired to use the momentum of the 100 days for the book. Also, what better way to mark the end of the 100 days than with a party? Handbook and Meditation CD Once I was committed to the book launch, that little voice spoke again. This time it nudged me to create a supplemental handbook and meditation cd. Both make a lot of sense. In fact, my one reviewer recommended that the exercises be highlighted in the back of the book. And, I had been thinking about recording meditations in the past. Hadn’t planned on it for the book… but it makes sense. I’ve got the content. It will be a little... okay, a lot more work. But, I’m doing it. Geocaching Not sure I’m going to put this one into action or not, but because the premise of the book as the tag-ling suggests is energetic connections, I was hit with the idea of placing a couple books in locations for geocachers to find. This would be fun. Get the book in the hands of people who might not otherwise get the book. Downside? I have to hike to where the book is going to be placed. Would probably make a great Youtube video. Funny to watch. I’m not a great hiker and would probably fall a lot. Oprah So, this one may be a little more of a day dream than an inspiration. I’d love to have Oprah read, endorse my book and have me on Super Soul Sunday. I had the vision of this happening after I sent her a lovely basket with the book, cd, goodies for while reading it and a One pendent, similar to the one my husband was inspired to make and I’m not supposed to know about. I see her wearing it as I sit on her couch. Might this happen? Who knows! You may have noticed the them, all the inspirations I’ve had recently have been around One. I’m taking this to mean the universe is working overtime to help me out with the book launch. And trust me, I’ll take any help I can get. Which means, now through June 30th which is the day after the book launch party at the Tewksbury Lodge, I think I might end up taking a lot of showers. |
AuthorDawn Lynn is an EveryDay medium. She lives and breathes via her intuition, which as a fourth generation intuitive from a family of Spiritualists came easily. Her abilities became apparent in early childhood and were cultured by a supportive family. Through her Blogs and Vlogs, she wants to help you become the EveryDay medium too. Categories
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