Am I making this all up…?

Growing up, did your family and friends accuse you of having an active imagination? If you were like me, you loved to talk to yourself. You had imaginary friends, and your “real” friends were weirded out that you just knew things.

For me, I could get lost in a book and I loved ghost stories. I drew faces of people I didn’t know. In high school, I found my tribe in the theater department. My first job out of college was to research, write and act in historical reenactments. I grew up trusting my imagination more than so-called reality.

I never had a problem living in my made-up worlds. But when I started to develop as a medium, I had to know: am I making this all up?

Where does imagination end and Spirit communication begin? Wouldn’t it be nice to know immediately when Spirit knocks on the door?

Over the years, I learned to distinguish imagination and spirit perception by understanding control.

Our body/minds feel like they are in control of our thoughts. For instance, if I were to daydream about getting an acting gig in Hollywood, I'd imagine cruising out to Hollywood in a red convertible, lunching with agents, bumping into George Clooney who would instantly fall to my charms and cast me in his next movie. No, no, wait...make that I drive to Hollywood and pass a car jacked up at the side of the road. Alas, poor George Clooney’s Alfa has a flat and he needs a lift. We chat, he hands me a script...I like that better!

Such a narrative is the product of my imagination. It’s a fantasy that I create and control.

On the other hand, a Spirit link would consist of an image arising up in my awareness as if from out of nowhere.

Say, I'm sitting at my desk daydreaming about George Clooney when suddenly, an image of my father rises up in my consciousness and he's pointing at the calendar. I check the date on my lap top, and sure enough, it's my father's birthday. I feel a welling up of love.

"Thanks, Dad! I miss you." I say. "Happy birthday. But, um, do you mind...?" The image of my dad disappears, and I'm back to giving George a shoulder massage.

A spirit link may seem random, but it comes with a palatable emotion you can describe as well.  

When you prepare to link with Spirit, first notice what is going on with your body/mind. Then clear your thoughts. Just let yourself be open in your awareness. Allow Spirit to knock on the door of your awareness. You may want to create a signal that you’re open for business. Try flipping a switch, or opening a door, or turning to a certain direction and just sense who is beside you.

What suddenly changes when you send out your signal is your perception of Spirit. Mediums such as Gordon Smith say it’s “Spirit’s calling card.”

Your skin might suddenly tingle. You may feel a wave of heat, cold, or goosebumps; you may receive a rush of images, sounds, scents, tastes, according to your abilities. Spirit overshadows you slightly, but will never harm you. Just remember that all the info you perceive is for you to give away.

Perhaps you are sitting very comfortably as you set your intention to make a link--and bam! You get a splitting headache. You announce this headache to your sitter, you describe it in detail and it goes away. What new info do you sense? Be aware for new information, even if it feels like nothing. “Nothing” may still information your sitter will recognize. And remember, you can always ask for more.

Please don’t neglect your imagination. Positive visualization is key for practicing spirit links. Prior to your next demonstration, visualize everything going perfectly well. Imagine having your choice of spirit communicators, and how Spirit turns a recipient’s noes into yeses and finally imparts a healing message to your recipient.

Spirit perception and control may seem like they are out of your hands, but you are definitely in control of when and how you are ready to serve Spirit, or, when you’d prefer to simply sit idle and imagine your next fantastic road trip.