Spirit Guides

This week in our psychic development class we learned about spirit guides. Everyone has a spirit guide who is with you from the day you are born, until you die. Your guide is there to protect and guide you. Spirit guides have all lived on earth at one point, so they will have an understanding of what it is like to live on this planet.

Some people are in touch with their guides. Our tutor explained that if you are unable to see or communicate with your guide, then it means that you are not ready to yet. However, you can still ask in a meditation to meet your guide.

New Laws on the Fraudulent Mediums act take effect tomorrow

While I was at the Arthur Findlay college for their open week earlier in the month, we were told that there was a journalist asking people questions.

Spirited away meet the psychics with an uncertain future is the article that was written from those questions.

Paranormal site's investigators Dave Wood takes a look at what the repeal of the Fraudulent Mediums Act (1951) is going to mean for psychic practitioners.

I am still not clear how this will look in practice, and wonder how many members of the public will take out law suits against practising mediums, psychics and healers.

Time and patience in Psychic development classes

This week in our psychic development class we learned about meeting our animal guides. It was interesting looking at what different animals represent. I had not thought about animal guides before.

One of the students in the class was upset, as she had not seen anything in the meditation, and as our class is a mixture of beginners and intermediate students, she felt that she needed to see what the others saw. I tried to tell her not to make comparisons, as she was not comparing like with like. I also think that the way spirit communicates with one person, is not the way they will communicate with another.

The President in spirit at my local spiritualist church, I was told ,sat in a circle for twelve years, and did not see a thing. However, after the twelve year period she became a well known medium. I saw a medium at the SAGB this month, and he told me he sat in circle for three years, and didn't get any messages, and then it all started to happen. I can see how frustrating it may be for some people, however I am aware it can take years of patience and regular attendance at circles before spirit communicates.

I believe that spirit communicates with us when they feel we are ready. There are exceptions, for example people who are born with the gift,and see spirit,at a young age, but some of them still go to circles, to develop further.

Victorian music halls, Spiritualist seances and knocking shops

Matt Salusbury has an interesting post on sex and the seance room. It adds a whole new meaning to table rapping for me.

Gordon Smith Life Changing Messages workshop

I went to the Mind body spirit festival on Wednesday, and attended a Life changing Messages workshop with Gordon Smith.

I have heard so much about Gordon Smith and read two of his books, so it was great to see him in action, for the first time. I was not feeling well yesterday, and was praying that I would recover in time for the workshop. It was packed as I expected, he definitely has a following. I sat next to a number of women, who attend every event that he has going.

As Gordon walked into the room, I was struck by how young and fresh faced he looked. My sense of him was that he is grounded, down to earth, warm, has strong opinions, and does not suffer fools.

He has strong opinions on mental illness which I don't share, and he stated that mental illness was non existent before psychiatrists came onto the scene. I am aware that he is entitled to his opinion, but do not subscribe to this view. I have a number of friends and colleagues who have family members who are in the mental health system, and am aware of the suffering they have endured, and how the system has helped them survive.

Gordon started the workshop by talking about his work, experiences, and background. He then did a demonstration of clairvoyance, and then took some questions and answers.

There are a number of things that I am taking away with me from the workshop.

Gordon said that he learned from Miss Primrose(his tutor), that mediumship was about helping others. He mentioned that there was a time for healing.

He gave some tips on how to develop.

1. He said that it was important to sit and be patient in developing circles, and let spirit develop you.


2. That you need to let spirit overshadow you and link to you in the circle.



3. That it was not important to focus on giving messages in circles, but learn to sit with spirit.
   

He saw the importance of mediumship as taking dark energy and turning it into light. That it was about wanting to heal people.

I could identify with Gordon when he talked about mediums who start by asking the audience questions at the start of a demonstration. He felt that mediums who worked in this way didn't trust spirit, and were an insult to what mediums do.

He pointed out that mediums can get things wrong, and we need to remember they can only describe what they are getting. In fact Gordon got a name wrong, and was corrected by the recipient of the message.

Gordon comes across as a man with lots of positive energy, and incorporated a lot of humour in the workshop, and was engaging. He has a presentation style that kept the audience engaged for the entire four hours of the workshop.

I had no idea he was going to do a demonstration, so it was good to see. I didn't get a message, but didn't go there expecting one.

I had all his books in my bag, which he kindly signed at the Hayhouse stall at the end of the workshop.

I think anyone who is able to attend any of his workshops or seminars will learn a lot from him, as he has valuable experiences and vast knowledge to share.

A Blast from the past at my Spiritualist church

I went to a service at my local spiritualist church this evening. I walked into the church, and the first person that I saw, was someone who I used to work with twelve years ago. I said hello, and found out that she comes to the church regularly, and is a platform medium. I had not seen her at any of the services that I had attended in the past. I felt it was such a coincidence that our paths should cross at this stage in my journey. I guess that there are no coincidences, and this was the work of spirit. We had a natter after the service, and I have no doubt that we will meet again.

Psychic Development classes

I have signed up for a three month psychic development class. We have done exercises on chakras, basic aura details, and how to sense different energies.

At the beginning of each class we start with a meditation, to open our chakras, protect ourselves, call in our guides, and to ground ourselves. We end each class with a meditation to close our chakras, and protect ourselves. These meditations are essential, as it seems that once anyone starts this journey they can attract all sorts.

My second day at the Mystical Arts exhibition

It was such a lovely day in London today, I missed a number of workshops as I was enjoying the weather instead.

I went to a workshop on protection and grounding with Sue Allen today. What I am taking away with me is the importance of protecting yourself when you work with people, as you can pick up their energies, which could have a detrimental effect. The information that Sue Allen gave during the workshop could apply to healers, counsellors, doctors, nurses, anyone who works with people on a regular basis.

There are six rules that you need to apply to protect yourself:

1. Ground.



2. Cleanse.



3. Close/attune.



4. Protect.



5. Know your energy.



6. Ask for assistance.

By not protecting yourself, you leave yourself open to different types of energies.

My day at the Mystic Arts Exhibition in London

I went to the Mystic arts exhibition today at the Olympia exhibition halls. There was so much on offer, I had a hard time deciding what to see. There were lots of stalls selling clothes, books, music,magazines,jewellery and crystals. There were stalls where you could get tarot readings, hand and mineral readings,coffee cup readings, readings from mediums, shiatsu massage,dianetics, get your aura photographed, stress tests. There were a number of stalls where you could sit and meditate, too. I have to say I have never seen so many tarot readers, mediums, and psychics in one place.

The first workshop that I went to, was Psychic surgery with Gary Mannion. He worked on members of the audience through his guide Abraham, and did not go into trance, so was able to take questions from the audience while he was working.

He started off by telling the audience what he was picking up, describing the conditions of some members in the audience. He then selected who to work on with the assistance of Abraham. This selection process was similar to how mediums work in demonstrations, by giving out some information, and then narrowing it down to one individual.

He could see what his guide was doing with the patient, and it seems that his guide used his hands to do the work. It was interesting to hear from people who experienced his work. One woman said she felt that she had been cut, and that her skin was separated, and that she had a sensation of many hands working on her. At some point, some members of the audience could hear noises ie, similar to bones cracking. Gary mentioned that he had an 86% success rate. It looked interesting, and it may be something that I may give a try at some point.

I spent the rest of the time wandering around the numerous stalls,having lunch with a friend, and then ended the day by going to a seance with Barbara Meiklejohn Free.

I will go back tomorrow, for some more workshops.

An unusual experience at my spiritualist church with a trance medium

I went to my local spiritualist church today, and the medium for the evening, was one of the founders of the church. He no longer lives in the UK, and comes once a year. A group is organised for him to see. I was fortunate to see him, as one of my friends had mentioned that I should put my name down.

Something happened in the group, that I have never witnessed before.He is a trance medium. He started off by giving myself and two others some messages, through his guide. Whilst he was talking to the third person, he said that he felt he was being shut down. He could not make contact with his guide. He mentioned that it was not anything to do with the group, but he had been shut down. He said he felt drained, and asked the third person whether she felt drained. She said she felt okay. He then came out of trance, and had no idea what had happened. One of the group members explained what he had said in trance.

He continued where he left off with the third person, by using psychometry. He felt he was being shut down again, and had to stop. He also said that he received a message stating that this was no longer the sort of work he needed to do.

I have never seen any medium stop in this way. Clearly some people were disappointed, as he has a good reputation, and some didn't mind. I feel that he is human, and still cannot work out what it is, that shut him down. I need to talk to my friends who are more in the know, about this.

I believe that something, or someone may have acted as a barrier, and his guide told him to shut down. Maybe as a form of protection. I don't know, but those are my thoughts.

My day at the Arthur Findlay college

I went to the Arthur Findlay college yesterday. What a wonderful place. The hall is huge, and the grounds are beautiful. Yesterday was sunny, so it was great sitting outside during the breaks and enjoying the grounds.

The first demonstration that I went to was on Psychic art. I had never seen this before and it was amazing. Paul Jacobs and Su Wood were working together. Paul explained that they may not necessarily see the same spirits at the same time, but would see what emerged. He delivered messages to several people in the audience, while Su drew a portrait of the spirit that she saw. In each case the member who received the message from Paul, was able to identify the person in the portrait. It was amazing.

I then went to a workshop with Mavis Pittilla on Intuition and Communication which was inspiring. There were a number of issues that Mavis raised that stayed with me. It is important to trust your instinct when you are developing. That it is not about how many private sittings you have, or how many demonstrations you have given, but how many souls you have helped.

In the afternoon I went to see a Trance demonstration with Simone Key, which was fascinating. The audience were able to ask Simone Key questions while she was in trance and while she came out of trance.

I hope to do some courses at the college in future and was impressed with what I saw yesterday.

Conversation with my mother on spiritualist churches

I spoke to my mother a few days ago, and mentioned that I had been to a number of spiritualist churches. She was worried, and warned me that it was okay to visit the churches as a bit of fun, but to do it on a regular basis was not right. Her view was people who went to spiritualist churches were devil worshippers, and it could lead to mental illness. I was brought up as a catholic, and understand where she is coming from, although I don't agree with her.

I find it sad that I can't share this experience with most of my friends or colleagues, because of the stigma around it, and that I will be labelled as someone who has lost the plot.