Connecting with the Ancestors (Mediumship)

When I work as a medium to make a connection with the ancestors I find that it stirs up many emotions for my clients: ~ feelings of joy and sadness ~ eternal love ~ recognition of undying bonds with loved ones ~ feelings of security and trust that loved ones are always near by ~ release and forgiveness ~ conversation ~ reconciliation ~ strengthening of bonds ~ connection ~ a deep and peaceful knowing and trust in the Divine

In their own words:

"I just wanted to let you know that I am focusing on what I really want...and working on the visualizing that Grandma communicated to you. I feel more centered, and more on track that I have for ages." Simone, Australia

"Your Ancestor Reading gave me a HUGE exhale moment. Emotions that I have buried far too long are being released...although it is sad, it is also cleansing. I have waited 32 years to exhale. Each day since the reading, I am taking the pieces you handed me and filling in the spaces. You have opened up a whole new world for me...thank you doesn't begin to describe my gratitude." RuthAnn Dickinson, St. Louis, Missouri, USA

"Now I am able to block out unwanted contacts from "the other side" virtually all of the time and when something does get through, it no longer freaks me out...I'm sleeping better and I'm not afraid all the time." Aleta.

This post was inspired by a recent 'spirit conversation' that I held with my own ancestors - my paternal grandparents, Ethel and Jim - a feisty, truthful, and very helpful chat. Thanks dear ones!

How I Became A Psychic-Medium

What is a medium? A person thought to have the power to communicate with the spirits of the dead or with agents of another world or dimension; an individual held to be a channel of communication between the earthly world and the world of spirits. Before December of 2006 I have never even seen a medium in action, when all of a sudden I found myself becoming one! I was able to connect with the spirit world and pass on messages as if it was second nature.

Astrologically, I was ready for a big shift. As an astrologer I knew I was entering a major transitional phase of my life called Uranus Opposition that happens to all of us around ages 38 to 42. The planet Uranus rules the sign Aquarius and will definitely shake us out of a rut, especially if we’re stuck, and it isn’t always pretty – Uranus does rule electricity and lightning! But I felt prepared and was just itching for change as I felt the intensity rising in my life.

Recently I had met a famous Irish sculptor, Linda Brunker and her boyfriend Adam Higgs, a well-known English psychic.They had just moved to Southern California from the UK and Adam was talking about starting up an English Traditional Teaching and Healing Circle at his home for friends only. I kept pushing and pushing for him to start it up and so he did in December of 2006. Our group ranged in size from three to eight returning members and we met weekly at the same place and time for the next six months.

We began our Circle by saging (which entailed holding a burning sage leaf and whisking it around our body) and then sitting in a circle as Adam led us through a guided meditation that always put us in a relaxed and heightened state of awareness. Meditation was something I had been doing since 1991 when I had attended a weekly meditation group in Ottawa, Ontario led by Om, a student of Sri Chinmoy so this part was very familiar to me.

After our meditation Adam paired us up so that we could practice psychic readings on each other. We sat facing our partner with closed eyes as we held their hands and recounted everything that we saw, felt or heard. After about fifteen minutes we would switch positions so that they could read us. Adam explained that this was the most difficult thing we could do as psychics, so of course that’s why we were starting off with this, since everything we did afterward would seem easy!

After doing several readings we joined again in circle and Adam lit a candle and then explained to us what a medium did. We were to stand up one at a time (if we chose to participate) in the center of the circle, close our eyes and wait for the departed to connect with us. This could happen through clairvoyance (French for ‘clear seeing’), clairaudience (clear hearing), clairsentience (clear feeling), or clairgustience (clear tasting), and we were to relay everything that happened to the group. Our circle was not allowed to ‘lead’ us in any way other than by asking us questions if something needed clarification or by answering ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to any observations made. For example, we weren’t allowed to say to the medium, “Oh yes, that’s my grandfather Elmer, and he just died in April last year!” The medium had to give at least three solid pieces of ‘evidence’ that proved without a doubt that it was the correct person and once the evidence was confirmed by a member of our circle then we were to ask the deceased for a message for that person. Messages such as, “Oh you were so loved” did not fly with Adam – we were to pass on substantial, fact laden messages that expressed more than just sentiment.

Adam was always very tough on us, and in fact called our group “Boot Camp for Psychics” and we believed him because he was no lightweight himself, but in fact was a massive bodybuilder who worked out regularly and whose favorite word was ‘discipline.’ He was a completely no-nonsense kind of guy who rarely if ever gave out compliments, so we worked very hard with no fooling around. After circle Adam and Linda always prepared a wonderful, healthy meal for all of us and we sat around chatting, playing with their pet wolf, Samson and talking about circle.

I really enjoyed the psychic reading part of our circle, but it was the mediumship that just blew me away. It was my first experience seeing the departed and they appeared as if through a veil, like in a dream, but I also felt as though I could bring them closer if needed so that I could see them and their previous life more clearly. Often the same deceased person would return session after session until I felt as though I knew them quite well. Some folks in our group rarely or never tried mediumship, but one other woman who had just started the group was also quite talented, so it is possible right from the get-go! Adam explained that sometimes it can take years of weekly practice to make a connection, but “practice makes perfect’ was one of his favorite sayings and he explained that even the most naturally gifted mediums can stagnate if they don’t continually use their talents and improve upon them.

The Circle changed my life and it hasn’t been the same since. During that time I bravely went out on my own and started giving readings at a new age store called Nirvana, but after they closed their doors I started working online exclusively and have given over a thousand readings since August of 2008. This way just works best for everyone involved and I feel both blessed and thankful for the work I am able to do.

If you would like to read more about my psychic background please click here.

Remembering our Ancestors

Maude Angel - a Woodblock Print

In honour of Hallow's Eve or Samhain I held a Facebook Giveaway called "My Favorite Ancestor" and the lucky winner received a woodblock print (pictured above) of my favorite ancestor from the movie "Harold & Maude" as played by Ruth Gordon.

Here's the question posed to my Facebook Fans: What 3 things did you learn from your favorite ancestor? How did they effect you body, mind and soul and in what ways did they touch your heart? To enter this giveaway just leave your comments on my Wall!

And if you don't yet have a favorite ancestor then pick one, any one that you wished you could have known and why.

Let us remember the dead for they are all around us.

Thanks to all of you who shared your very moving Ancestor Stories - I am very touched and inspired and feel very blessed to know all of you and your ancestors too.

Leslie Maltby Burdzy, Hartford, CT - My ancestor is my great-grandfather, boat builder, creative like many on that side of the family. It makes me feel that I am not crazy to want to create, that it's ok to create your own world - one that makes sense to you, and the need to throw in a bit of the down and dirty real-world into the mix, just to survive.

Cathy Parker, Columbus, OH - My favorite ancestors are my paternal grandmother and grandfather. I miss them so very much. I turned 60 on the 23rd so lately I have been thinking about those years when They were with me physically. Even so many years later I can't help but cry because they were such a strong and loving part of my life. I've never heard from my grandmother so I'm sure she came right back down into Life after crossing over. That would be so like her. I can hear her saying,"Let's get this over with so I can rest!". So wherever she is this is her last life, I'm sure. My grandfather has visited me in my dreams and he makes it very obvious for me that I'm on a journey. He sits away in the corner in his rocking chair and I have to step out of my dream to speak to him!

Brenda Mihalopoulos, Boston, MA - I think my favourite ancestor was my Great Grandmother...she got me on the crafting trail and I've been on it ever since...still can't knit or crochet worth a damn...

Ann Marie Hennesey Charest, Hartford, CT - My grandmother was a concert pianist in the 1920's. I never knew her in this lifetime, although I have always felt guided by her as I played musical instruments, especially the piano. I am also named for her. When I channel her, she tells me that she was always there guiding me and will continue to do so as long as I would like her too. She also spoke only French and sometimes her messages are not in English. I find this to be very cool and I am flattered that she has always been by my side.

Colleen Wilhelm: It is hard to narrow it down to one. I loved my maternal grandparents and they were the best influence on me growing up. My grandmother was like an angel to me. She loved me and believed in me when no one else did. She said I was her angel and I told her she was mine. I'm on the side of the light and I give her so much credit for showing me the way.

Jo Lynne Sprouse, Asheville, NC: My favorite ancestor is one I never met and really didn't hear a lot about until I started asking - She was my paternal great-great-grandmother. I have recently learned that she was a 'wise woman' in the hills of West Virginia and figure that it is she who has guided my spiritual path to where I am now. I am planning to do a special ceremony for her at Samhain and hope to contact her and connect with her.

Mary Miller, Columbus, Ohio: My favorite Ancestor. Sigh, I was just looking up everything I could for the last few days on my uncle. being so close to "day of the dead" for some, "Sawain" for others, for native Americans, this is the time of the ancestors and sending prayer bundles.

My favorite ancestor was my uncle/father who raised me, without a doubt. This man took a high road, when many in his family did not. He came from a very disadvantaged background (homeless from the age of 12 and parentless), scrabbled for years to raise himself above almost all odds, including jail, gang relations with the Pachucas in Oakland California in the 1940's, to being a well honored man in the Seattle area. He even has a hospital wing named for him at Group Health Seattle, for the inspiration he gave to folks who knew him. He was a humanitarian who believed that "something was a problem, if you made it a problem," and through his wisdom and love. I couldn't be who I am without him. He touched my soul.

Mon Lukas, Australia:
My favourite ancestor is a fore-mother who I never met, because she lived somewhere in the veils of time in central Europe. She resides in my cellular memory and influence and memory help make me what I am now, and quite foreign to the rest of my tribe.

She has given me:
The courage to speak out, despite a culture that would have it's women passive and obedient (Catholic, Slavic Poland)
Democratic and iconoclastic despite being born into privilege (the family supposedly had money, land and serfs)
Intuitive, psychic with a healing gift (I'd like to imagine that she had visited a gypsy camp, found love and introduced "the sight"into a line!)

Kathy -- the ancestors are truly constantly with us :)

For those of you interested in having an Ancestor (Mediumship) reading I do offer this service on my website at http://KathyCrabbe.com

You can read a sample of an Ancestor Reading here.

An Ancestor Reading for Elizabeth

What is an Ancestor Reading? Ancestors are family members (or friends) that have passed away but choose to 'come through' for you in times of need so that they can offer you guidance in the form of a message. I will request specific information from your ancestor so that you can positively identify them. I will sometimes see your ancestors, hear them, or feel their presence along with their name and I will do my best to capture whatever message they have for you. It can be reassuring to know that you are being watched over and loved by those who truly care for your well-being.

Spirit Guides are wise teachers and guardians from another dimension that advise and protect us. They are dis-incarnate spirits (ie. animal totems, angels, nature spirits) that can act as spiritual counselors or protectors for us, during our time of need. I will also provide you with suggestions and techniques for connecting to your guides on your own.

An Ancestor Reading for Elizabeth, 'Bethy'

* This reading is being shared with kind permission from Bethy.

This reading is in response to your wish for a connection with Myrtle or (David or Pete.)

I feel as though it is Myrtle that I am connecting with at this time.

- Although it seems as though it might be Pete who appears first. He appears slap-happy and wearing blue jean overalls and was closely connected to Myrtle. He was a man of few words and not very eloquent so I decide to move on with the reading to connect with Myrtle.

- Myrtle appears quite small with bird-like features.

- She appears demure at first and wearing cat-eye glasses.

- It’s as if she has a lot to say, but kept a lot of it back – she was repressed in this way, as if she was always correcting herself.

- Did she have a friend by the name of Hazel?

- She reassures me by placing her hand on my arm and saying, “I did what I could.”

- I believe that she was your maternal grandmother and did her husband’s name sound like ‘Bo’?

- I also see 2 children (girls).

- I decide to work with an Amethyst gemstone to help strengthen the connection I have with her.

- I also see her praying to Jesus to give her strength.

- I asked what qualities she passed on to you and she says that she passed on her curiosity to you!

- I sense that she may have been repressed by her husband’s larger-than-life presence – he just took up more space than her and required more attention.

- I sense that she had a close bond with her own mother (she had long hair.) She has memories of sweeping.

- She grew up in a town. Was her brother named Pete?

- She appeared very active as a girl; playing, running and jumping – she was more outgoing then.

- But then I get an image of ‘grey knitting’ and she appears to have shut down.

- As a teen (around the age of 16) something traumatic happened to her (death of a family member, her mother?) or possibly just growing up and having to leave behind childish games.

- Then she had your mother and she was happy for a while.

- I see her with light, fine, blonde-brown hair, just above her shoulder and lightly curled at the ends.

- She may have suffered from depression.

- In regards to how she passed away I feel pain in the middle of her back and in her left leg as well as a shortness of breath – a stroke? When it happened she asked, “Is this what it feels like to die?” and she felt no more pain after that.

She also says, “Now I can watch and I’m lighter and freer up here!” - A few more things she mentioned were that she liked square dancing and cats, especially an orange-creamsicle colored cat – he was her favorite.

And for you she has this message: “Stand up tall and don’t let them overlook you. You are right, ‘it’s your time’ and I’m proud of you.” She also says to “Be kind to your little brother.”

Bethy's Response:

You connected with my Maternal Grandmother, Myrtle. She used to call her husband, John, her "Beau". It was well known. So, even though you may have thought of it as a name it was his title, so to speak, in her heart. He died in 1974, when I was just a baby.

The two girls were, in my heart and mind, my mom, Mary and my Aunt, Margaret. Lately they have been living and caring for each other and I have prayed for them both asking Grandma Myrtle to intercede. I truly envision her now as part of God's "Communion of Saints", of which we all are. She and I didn't connect so much in life but my gifts have lead me in directions in which I have had to be "curious" all on my own to follow God's deepest call on my life.

I first connected with Grandma Davey (Myrtle)when I was married on her birthday. I used one of her poems in my Mass. I have recently called on her in times of trouble with my marriage and most profoundly when I was being "harassed" by negative spirits in my house. Unlike ANY experience I have had in my life, she came as like a ball of light in my room, more like in my mind's eye one night at bedtime. I knew it was her right away and she brought total peace and I talked to her but only intentions or thoughts came passing by my mind and it was like a spirit conversation.

She gave me the impression that she was like a little bird, so free and full of life, movement and she could "fly" all over and was never far, she said. She told me that all any of us have to do is "Love our Life" and follow our heart's dream with complete trust in God, mostly not to WORRY.

I confirmed some of the things she described about her husband, who was definitely larger than life and is and was sorely missed by his two girls. The hair reference, according to my mom, was also correct.

When you said that she said to "Be kind to my little brother", I immediately thought of my son, Benjiman, actually. She also gave me the impression when she visited me that night, that we are all brothers and sisters in the Kingdom. It is an inside message to me. She knows me and my son are somehow inherently friends on this life journey.

I was thoroughly satisfied with your connection and your gift is true. The truth sets you free and like you twittered not long ago, your specialty is the fruit of the spirit in which your gift manifests. I think you said that people are put on a path that keeps leading them in the right direction. This is SO close to what I believe I am called to and which was exactly what my Grandma Myrtle indicated she always wanted from her life but that some how her own self imposed and family imposed boundaries kept her away from experiencing this true miracle of connection with her family and people until AFTER she passed into the spirit world.

I want to save and get another reading so as to get encouraged to go in the wonderful direction God intends for me. Your gifts and my gifts and these connections are all part of the true Body of Christ at work in this world. Keep in touch, please and I will talk to you again, hopefully soon.

To book an Ancestor Reading please do so here.

How I Became A Psychic-Medium

What is a medium? A person thought to have the power to communicate with the spirits of the dead or with agents of another world or dimension; an individual held to be a channel of communication between the earthly world and the world of spirits.

Before December of 2006 I have never even seen a medium in action, when all of a sudden I found myself becoming one! I was able to connect with the spirit world and pass on messages as if it was second nature.

Astrologically, I was ready for a big shift. As an astrologer I knew I was entering a major transitional phase of my life called Uranus Opposition that happens to all of us around ages 38 to 42. The planet Uranus rules the sign Aquarius and will definitely shake us out of a rut, especially if we’re stuck, and it isn’t always pretty – Uranus does rule electricity and lightning! But I felt prepared and was just itching for change as I felt the intensity rising in my life.

Recently I had met a famous Irish sculptor, Linda Brunker and her boyfriend, Adam Higgs, a well-known English psychic. They had just moved to Southern California from the UK and Adam was talking about starting up an English Traditional Teaching and Healing Circle at his home for friends only. I kept pushing and pushing for him to start it up and so he did in December of 2006. Our group ranged in size from three to eight returning members and we met weekly at the same place and time for the next six months.

We began our Circle by saging (which entailed holding a burning sage leaf and whisking it around our body) and then sitting in a circle as Adam led us through a guided meditation that always put us in a relaxed and heightened state of awareness. Meditation was something I had been doing since 1991 when I had attended a weekly meditation group in Ottawa, Ontario led by Om, a student of Sri Chinmoy so this part was very familiar to me.

After our meditation Adam paired us up so that we could practice psychic readings on each other. We sat facing our partner with closed eyes as we held their hands and recounted everything that we saw, felt or heard. After about fifteen minutes we would switch positions so that they could read us. Adam explained that this was the most difficult thing we could do as psychics, so of course that’s why we were starting off with this, since everything we did afterward would seem easy!

After doing several readings we joined again in circle and Adam lit a candle and then explained to us what a medium did. We were to stand up one at a time (if we chose to participate) in the center of the circle, close our eyes and wait for the departed to connect with us. This could happen through clairvoyance (French for ‘clear seeing’), clairaudience (clear hearing), clairsentience (clear feeling), or clairgustience (clear tasting), and we were to relay everything that happened to the group. Our circle was not allowed to ‘lead’ us in any way other than by asking us questions if something needed clarification or by answering ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to any observations made. For example, we weren’t allowed to say to the medium, “Oh yes, that’s my grandfather Elmer, and he just died in April last year!” The medium had to give at least three solid pieces of ‘evidence’ that proved without a doubt that it was the correct person and once the evidence was confirmed by a member of our circle then we were to ask the deceased for a message for that person. Messages such as, “Oh you were so loved” did not fly with Adam – we were to pass on substantial, fact laden messages that expressed more than just sentiment.

Adam was always very tough on us, and in fact called our group “Boot Camp for Psychics” and we believed him because he was no lightweight himself, but in fact was a massive bodybuilder who worked out regularly and whose favorite word was ‘discipline.’ He was a completely no-nonsense kind of guy who rarely if ever gave out compliments, so we worked very hard with no fooling around. After circle Adam and Linda always prepared a wonderful, healthy meal for all of us and we sat around chatting, playing with their pet wolf, Samson and talking about circle.

I really enjoyed the psychic reading part of our circle, but it was the mediumship that just blew me away. It was my first experience seeing the departed and they appeared as if through a veil, like in a dream, but I also felt as though I could bring them closer if needed so that I could see them and their previous life more clearly. Often the same deceased person would return session after session until I felt as though I knew them quite well. Some folks in our group rarely or never tried mediumship, but one other woman who had just started the group was also quite talented, so it is possible right from the get-go!Adam explained that sometimes it can take years of weekly practice to make a connection, but “practice makes perfect’ was one of his favorite sayings and he explained that even the most naturally gifted mediums can stagnate if they don’t continually use their talents and improve upon them.

The Circle changed my life and it hasn’t been the same since. During that time I bravely went out on my own and started giving readings at a new age store called Nirvana, but after they closed their doors I started working online exclusively and have given over a thousand readings since August of 2008. This way just works best for everyone involved and I feel both blessed and thankful for the work I am able to do.

If you would like to read more about my psychic background please click here.

I also offer a "Turning 40" Mid Life soul reading especially for those undergoing their Uranus Opposition and you can also order it on my website!