As a practicing medium, I’m always pushing myself alongside my spiritual team on the other side to improve how I receive evidence from loved ones, guides, and more. One thing I had always struggled with in the past was getting names during a medium reading. I remember talking about it with someone in a development workshop years ago and they asked me if I was good with names normally. I replied, “Oh hell no! I’m awful!” Their response was, “Well, that’s why.” At the time, I accepted that answer because I was still developing and didn’t question what I didn’t know to be true or not true. But as time passed and I became more confident in my abilities, I realized that the messages that come through have nothing to do with me—duh. It became clear that while receiving names is an important piece of evidence for me, I needed to let go of focusing solely on them. All I needed to do was ask spirit to receive names and then release my attachment to it.
My mediumship involves seeing, hearing, and feeling... Over the years, my spidey senses, if you will, have really accelerated symbolically with spirit during my readings. One night, while doing a reading, I was connecting with a sister who had passed. I kept seeing disco balls and hearing Donna Summer’s song “On the Radio.” I asked the client if her sister connected with the whole Studio 54 disco music vibe. She said no and couldn’t take the visual. So, as a medium, I trust the messages that come through and I dig a little deeper, asking spirit for more information. I then continued hearing the name “Donna Summer” while her music played almost simultaneously in my mind. I asked my client, “How does Donna Summer or the name ‘Donna’ connect?” She replied, “That’s my sister’s name—Donna.” Boom, there it was: the message was indeed a name! Both myself and my client laughed and she said, “Wow, spirit really made you work for that one.” It’s crucial for anyone learning to communicate with the spirit world to keep asking questions, digging deeper, and paying attention to how the messages make you feel if the visuals aren’t clear. Being of service to those who have experienced tremendous grief means putting in the extra work with the spirit world. It might be slow at first, or maybe it won’t be, but the key isn’t just about getting a name. It’s about relaying the message in whatever way the spirit world needs to bring peace, hope, and healing to those who have suffered a loss.
Bringing forward evidence, whether it’s a name, an anniversary, or something else, is wonderful and important during a reading, and I’m so grateful for every opportunity when it comes through. But it’s just one piece of the message. I also believe that real healing happens in the experiences shared—like when a dad in spirit mentions something silly like his smelly feet and how it would clear a room to remind his daughter to laugh again. “Yes, that came through once, and the laughter did help.” Or how grandma was your best friend, and you told her everything about your life; she’ll always be grateful for that time and closeness with you. Evidence, emotions, and memories, combined together, show beyond a shadow of a doubt that there is something more. Evidence that can’t be googled. It demonstrates that our souls do live on and that our loved ones are always around us, experiencing life alongside us and not missing a thing.
If you’re just starting out on your journey as a practicing medium, remember that it’s a true partnership with the spirit world. It takes work, time, and the ability to let go, trusting that the messages will come. Don’t give up and give yourself grace on the days when it’s more challenging than others. Everyone has off days, no matter how long they’ve been of service.