Grace versus Garish.

As mediums, we must give the most natural expressions of spiritual energy that we can in the moment.

Spirit communicators come in all shapes, sizes, and emotions, and we just have to keep our own shape, size and emotions out of the way. 

It’s our job to bring forth a personality the recipient recognizes to demonstrate how spirit survives after the change called death.

Speaking of personalities, during the past week, there have been numerous comparisons in social media between our outgoing President Obama and our new chief, Mr. Trump; comparisons of how graceful one is over the other during this changeover. 

Grace is timeless, self-effacing, relaxed and always wins. Garish is brash, showy, anxious and ego-centered.

Gracious communicators lend an energy that is positive and contagious. The garish pretty much are wild cards. We must make sure we don’t slip up and repeat something to offend or embarrass the recipient or audience. Sometimes garish spirits surprise the recipient by revealing their spiritual growth, which is wonderful to experience.

Political opinions aside, let’s strive to be more graceful in our demonstrations. We must present ourselves honestly, yet let our own personalities take a back seat so that the audience can see that it’s spirit we’re speaking for. Never act out the personality, let their energy lead the way, whether it be bold or timid, confused or articulate.

Today I blended with the spirit of a fast-talking, high-energy aunt whose personality I enjoyed bringing forward to her niece, but in the back of my mind, I knew I had to rein in my presentation so as not to make her a spectacle for the audience. Describing this lady’s face, hair and body shape, then putting forth her words in her manner of speaking was my immediate goal.

Luckily, she was quite a recognizable personality. But what would happen if the spirit person was fairly boring or unappealing? This is where we need to be gracious about a person who may not be described as “lovely.”

Try to stay away from bland words like “average,” “normal” or “regular” or judgmental words that may show a bias. It may be enough to say, “This gentleman wasn’t considered handsome.” Spirit may even show you a character actor’s face that the recipient would recognize, so by all means, say the actor’s name and move on.

I once brought through a gentleman whose face was weathered and lined, like Walter Matthau. The recipient even said, “I always thought he looked like Walter Matthau!” It was just enough to say the name and move on...no need to elaborate, no need to wonder if I should talk about the movies he was in or acting cranky like Oscar Madison unless that is what Spirit gave me.

Give what you get and most importantly, do so from the grace within your heart.