Typically, children and young adults have a greater awareness of spirit as they are less ‘educated’ and tend to apply less logic than adults. As we grow older, our brain takes over and most of us will dismiss the connections and signs that we’re given. The smallest occurrences can go unnoticed and even occurrences that I’d call significant, such as the sighting of spirit form or manifestation can be dismissed as a figment of the imagination.
I always advise people to ask out loud if they think they’ve just experienced something spiritual. To ask who it is and what they want, and to ask for another sign (remember to describe something specific). Some really great mediums don't develop their ability to work with spirit until they’re much older. Although I experienced things from an early age, I was 30 years old before I really developed my ability beyond the natural awareness that I was born with. It’s one thing to experience spirit, it’s something else to be able to interpret what you experience. That takes practice and it takes a lot of patience. Mediumship is often described as a gift. True, it does come more naturally to some than others, but I believe that in time, we can all learn how to communicate with spirit. If you wish to develop and strengthen your own awareness and connection, I advise you to take the following steps.
Attend your local Spiritualist Church. You may be lucky and receive a message from the visiting medium, but at the very least it will let you feel the communion of spirit. This is a world in which you will need to immerse yourself. Look to see how mediums work, what they do and how they pass messages across to their audience. I’m not suggesting that you copy their style or approach as we’re all unique, so you’ll see differences in how we do things, but you may need to try a few things out before you find something that works for you. Churches tend to offer development circles, too. They can provide guidance and a safe environment to try things out. You won’t be judged unfairly and most people affiliated with the Church will laugh with you when you make a mistake, rather than laugh at you. They’ll cry with you when you cry and they’ll push you in the right direction. Remember though, to always protect yourself when working with spirit. Most Churches will incite some form of protection, but not all of them.
You don’t need to aspire to appear on the stage as a platform medium, but you may want to read a few people now and again. You only need to look on social media to find there are many mediums and psychics putting themselves forward. It’s a brave thing to do in a society that still sees spiritualism as taboo, fraudulent or egotistical. Do what feels right to you and do what you’re comfortable with. If you’re meant to be on platform, then spirit will guide you to that. Physical mediumship such as transfiguration and the channelling of energy is a difficult form to master. This is best avoided for anyone developing their mediumship. Of course, it may simply happen as it did with me, during my first time at Plane Castle. I was undertaking an experiment called Human Pendulum when I started to shout Get Out! Get Out! at everyone, much to their panic and excitement. This is why it’s really important to make sure that you have someone with you who can step in and help you if required. It needs to be someone you can trust and with whom you can be open with.
Maintain a diary of any connections that you experience. These can be complex and may take the form of dreams or visions. You may encounter spirit in your home or place of work. You may experience many coincidences. Jot them down and look for any emerging patterns. When working with spirit you need to trust in your instincts. Mediumship is very much about understanding your emotions and thoughts. You need to use all five senses and your intuitive perception. Many people describe themselves as a sensitive. This is a matter of disposition and choice. Personally, I don’t use the term as I believe that we’re all sensitive to one degree or another and that we’re all mediums of a sort. Mediumship is not a binary condition but is rather a spectrum. So for some, they may be registering as a 1 (where they experience little – or seem to experience little) and a 10 (where they walk around and interact with the dead as they do the living). I’m probably around a 7 or an 8. I call this the Mediumship Probability Scale.
Don't be afraid to speak to spirit. Talk to them and ask them for guidance. Ask for signs that spirit is around you. Make sure you ask for a specific sign e.g. tell them what you want to see, hear or smell. That way, you'll recognise it when it comes. A common mistake is to assume that you’ve been given a sign. A white feather, for example may be a sign that you’ve had a visitor, or it could simply be that you’ve awakened in bed and you happen to have feather pillows. I always ask for abstract signs such as a flying pig or a car with white spots on it. The sign could come in the form of spoken word e.g. someone may say and pigs might fly, or it could be a photograph or cartoon on the TV.
Meditate! Look on YouTube for a 30 minute guided meditation. Any longer than that and you’ll probably fall asleep. Find some quiet time and give it a go. Try to do this on a regular basis. You’ll also find meditations on Meeting Spirit Guides, Healing and Angels. Look for and attend a development circle or an awareness class. Make sure this is with a reputable medium who can also show you how to protect yourself by opening and closing to spirit. Some may charge for this and that’s fine, but it should never bankrupt you. I would also be wary about training courses offered online (or even face-to-face) that promise you will become a medium upon successful completion. There is no such thing as a trainee or qualification in mediumship. There is such a thing as a qualification for holistic therapies such as Reiki or Hypnotherapy, but as far as being able to communicate with spirit and pass on messages, this is something that grows and develops within each of us. A training course may give you the tools that you need, but it won’t give you the exposure and experience that moves you up that probability scale.
Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. We are all human and contrary to belief, we’re permitted to get things wrong now and again. Lord only knows I’ve made a few in my time and will likely make many more. You cannot control the actions or behaviours of other people and you could be telling them the names of loved ones in spirit, the conditions of passing and many other detailed information not readily available in the public domain, and yet they can be so closed in their mindset that the information you’re giving them won’t be assimilated. Sadly, there are some people out there who misunderstand mediumship. We have the TV to thank for that. It can be hard, but you need to try to forget about the people who call you a fake, a charlatan or a con artist. I’ve been called many things in the past. I remember being really upset once, not long after I’d started to appear on stage. I was scrolling through Facebook and was messaging friends about a night out on the town when I happened to stumble upon someone’s page. She was acquainted with me at school. I had not seen or spoken to her for around 16 years. Someone had shared a post on her timeline and had mentioned that I was doing a charity ‘psychic’ fundraiser. This person from my past had commented, to denounce my mediumship and to inform everyone willing to listen that she had known me at school and that she had never seen any ‘special powers’. She went on to imply that I was a money making fraud. I was both shocked and horrified. Although I did know her from school, she was never in my immediate circle of friends. If she had been, she would have known that I was a bit weird and she would also have known about the whole ‘lifeline’ thing. I wasn’t in the habit of going around telling everyone that I experienced spirit. Back then, I was only a teenager and still trying to find myself. Anyway, I was doing this for charity. How dare she! It also demonstrated an ignorance to the beliefs of other people. It’s akin to telling anyone religious, with a strong faith, that they’ve got it all wrong and it’s all nonsense. Unfortunately, religion has been a major cause of war in our past and it invokes strong emotions in people. This was exactly my reaction. I had to step back after reading her comment, the temptation to say something smart to her was overwhelming. How dare she make out to know me, even though she had not seen or spoken to me for more than 16 years. I was incensed, but at the end of the day we should never feel the need to prove ourselves to other people. I had to learn that the hard way. Keep it in mind as you progress through your spiritual journey. You’ll also attract some negativity from those who are so religious that they cannot see past their own faith. Most, if not all religions teach patience, respect and understanding. They teach a deep love for humanity that we should all subscribe to. So they should know better than to dismiss the beliefs of others. I encounter many people who don’t subscribe to my ideas and that’s fine. And when it comes to angels and demons, oh my goodness. Be prepared for that discussion. I was stalked by someone once, who kept calling me at work (I have no idea how he got my number) trying to recruit me in the ‘coming war’. He wanted to know what side I was on, as mediumship could be seen as God’s work as equally as it could belong to the Devil. But, one needs to remember that this is his belief and so it’s often easier to accept that you’re not going to change their mind. Challenge is good, but when one is so fixated, no amount of influence or evidence will make a difference. Accept them for who they are and move on. I’m not telling you this to put you off, but you do need to be aware that you’ll attract unwanted attention. It would be poor of me to simply tell you that everything is amazing, when the reality is that spirituality and mediumship can be hard work. If I’d lived 500 years ago, I would most likely have been accused of witchcraft and burnt at the stake. Or worse. Luckily, those days are long gone, but the sentiment remains in the minds of some. It’s also safe to admit that my family has been affected in a variety of ways. Your dad’s a ghost buster and other comments to my children. People have stopped my wife in the street to ask her if they could arrange a meeting with me. I’ve even experienced occasions on the train, when people have stared at me and openly asked are you that medium guy?
Medium: Memoirs of a Spiritual Medium Your Spiritual Awareness by Lee Dunn. This extract is taken from a book which is available in paperback from the Amazon store. ISBN: 9781699973196. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted or circulated in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior permission from the author. Copyright © Lee Dunn, 2019 Lee Dunn has asserted his moral right to be identified as the author of this work and the holder of the intellectual property contained within, in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. Every reasonable effort has been made to trace potential copyright holders of materials cited within this book.
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