Working with Spirit - Diary of a Psychic

We all have psychic ability within us; for some it is more easily accessible than others. Some are born with it already strong and activated, others discover it at some point in their life, while many more never tap into it at all.

I first became aware of the realm of Spirit in 2001 following the suicide of a friend. Since then, I have been able to receive messages from angels, guides and deceased souls.

So what is it like to experience psychic phenomenon? Is it a blessing or a curse? Does it have purpose and meaning?

Here I share a little of how I use my ability, and what it means to me personally.

Photo Credit: Eye of the psychic - image copyright of the author

My first contact with the Spirit realm was in 2001, where I found myself having conversations with a deceased friend. Of course, initially I put this down to fanciful imagination that was harmless but therapeutic. However, he told me things that I started to wonder about, and when I asked for verification from people who knew him, it turned out he was indeed telling me things that had happened, that I had no prior knowledge of.

As time went on, I came to connect with the Spirit realms in a variety of ways, including the angels. There are many ways to receive messages from Spirit, and you can read about those methods in an article I wrote, How to Communicate with Spirits. For me, I mainly either receive auditory messages which I channel and write down (usually via my computer if possible as I can get the messages down faster), or I suddenly "know" things without knowing how or why, which turn out to be true.

Early on during this period I had an aura photograph and reading at a Mind Body Soul festival. The Kirlian photography showed me to have an expanse of violet/purple above me which signified considerable psychic ability. The reader who analysed the photo afterwards told me I should be sitting where she was, doing the same kind of work. It would take many more years, however, before I had the confidence to be open about my gifts and experiences, let alone use them with others!

Do you believe in Spirit realms, in any form? It might be a belief in Heaven, or in levels of spiritual and astral planes where spirit beings, deceased souls and other beings reside. If so, do you believe that it is possible to communicate with such realms?

Do you believe in fairies? Once upon a time, not that long ago, people would consider you crazy if you seriously admitted to this. Eccentric at best. Now, more and more people are acknowledging the existence of ethereal beings. Just because you can't see something, it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Is belief in fairies really so crazy? After all, lots of people believe in angels, and you can't "see" them either!

If you research the existence of faeries, angels, etheric beings, nature spirits, tree spirits and so on, you might be surprised. It's not just pagans and "new agers" who work with these beings. They are a recognised element of theosophy and have been mentioned and written about by all kinds of people, from inspired poets and writers such as WB Yeats, to the famous "Sleeping Prophet" Edgar Cayce. Founder of the Waldorf-Steiner schools and education system, Rudolph Steiner, even wrote a book on nature spirits.

In addition to receiving messages from the deceased and the angels, I also work with what I call the enchanted realms (faeries and other beings on the astral plane), and, with much of my spirituality rooted in the Old Ways (paganism), the many aspects of the Goddess.

Photo Credit: My Faerie Portrait by artist Kate Monkman of Free Range Faeries

Do you have psychic ability, or do you believe you could learn it?

One of the more "fun" elements to my psychic life is ghost-hunting. I'm planning to write more on this subject but will touch on it here. I love visiting haunted places and while I've never "seen" a ghost, I've experienced lots of sensations when in haunted areas.

I've stayed in a haunted castle (in the most haunted room!), been on a "Fright Night' in a very haunted stately home, and visited one of the spookiest places featured on the television show Most Haunted, Bodmin Jail in Cornwall.

Most of the experiences I've had have been cases of feeling chills, skin prickles, or sensing either lightness or heaviness in certain rooms and areas.

The most significant experience, however, was in Bodmin Jail. Walking through one area of cells, where many prisoners had been hanged, I suddenly had the overwhelming sensation of having my throat crushed - either by being strangled or hanged. It lasted only a few seconds but was very disconcerting at the time!!

Photo Credit: Image copyright of the author

Photo Credit: Image copyright of the author

So where does being psychic take you in life? Some choose to make a living giving readings for others. I did not take this path for a long time and instead using my gifts for knowledge and personal spiritual growth. However, I more recently began attending a spiritualist church and centre with a friend and began giving readings for others, as part of a psychic development cycle, and am glad that I felt guided to go because it helped me gain confidence in what I do (as well as meet lovely new people!)

One of the first books I read, when developing spiritually, was Divine Guidance by Doreen Virtue, which explains how to receive direct guidance from God and the angels. For me, my ability to channel allows me to receive guidance about my journey in life, and consequently I have been on a wonderful spiritual journey so far.

With regards to religion and spirituality, I always describe myself as spiritual. I do not follow any set path or label myself under any religion, belief or faith because I believe our paths are all unique, individual paths that all lead eventually to the same place.

I was baptised Church of England but grew up with Catholic beliefs because I attended Catholic primary school. When I was older, I found it ridiculous that I had to call myself C of E when all I had been taught to believe was Catholic, and then began to question why there were different threads of the same thing in the first place. After all, God is God, right? Why did people have to fight over who had the superior religion?

Much as I enjoy visiting churches, I always found God out in nature, not in sermons. But that is me. I have the utmost respect for others and their beliefs - I would never force mine upon anybody, and only ask that they have the same respect for me. It saddens me when religions and beliefs cause violence and war because people cannot accept that others have different beliefs to them. There is wisdom to be found in all faiths if only everyone stopped fighting long enough to take notice.

If there was one thing that I would love to see achieved in my lifetime, that is an end to the persecution of those who choose the pagan and alternative spiritual paths.

I draw on spiritual and pagan beliefs, finding that balance between Earth and Spirit, Dark and Light, Divine Feminine and Divine Masculine.

This video sums up how I feel spiritually. It encompasses both God and the Divine Source, and Mother Earth and the Divine Feminine. It features the beautiful song "Eclipse" by Pia. Enjoy!

Channeling Spirit and having psychic ability often goes hand in hand with energy work and healing. Many work with Divine healing, Reiki or other methods of healing - I am drawn to working with crystals.

My awareness of Spirit allows me to connect with crystals on a deeper level than simply using them for healing purposes. I find I can often attune to their energy, receive visions of where they came from, and sometimes even receive messages from the crystal spirit within.

Several years ago I was fortunate enough to attend a workshop held by spiritual author Diana Cooper, who was talking about her new book on Atlantis. We did a group meditation where we travelled back to see what our past life in Atlantis was, and unsurprisingly, I saw myself as a keeper of the crystals!

Photo Credit: Image copyright of the author

More recently, I have been called to start working with crystal skulls. This is such a fascinating subject! The actual ancient crystal skulls have been discovered in numerous locations and are said to have incredible energies and powers.

Modern crystal skulls that are hand carved today are still very powerful tools. It is even possible to buy skulls that have been "activated" in the presence of one of the ancient skulls themselves.

People are said to receive profound messages and experience deep connections when working with the skulls. I am currently working with 13 skulls and their energy is incredible!

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I've written about being a witch before, but will mention it here also as it makes up part of my psychic and spiritual journey.

I have always been drawn to magical things, ever since childhood, with a lifelong fascination with Avalon, witches, faeries, mermaids and all things "mythical" (or maybe not so mythical!).

I often felt the calling but it was not until I was well into my twenties that I finally had the courage to start following the path of the witch properly. When people think of witchcraft they either tend to think of Wicca, which is the modern form of witchcraft, or in terms of "black witch, white witch", which as far as I'm concerned are defunct terms because all witches use their powers for good - if they don't, then they are something else altogether and not a witch at all.

I am not Wiccan. I prefer the old and traditional ways, following the path of the wise women and hedgewitch, I am most predominantly a kitchen witch because I enjoy sacred living and sacred cooking.

So where does my psychic and Spirit work come into effect here? Primarily, with the Goddess. To me, God is the Source, the Divine in Heaven, while the Goddess is Mother Earth, or Gaia. I work with her in her many aspects and guises, and receive messages from her in the same way that I do the angels, ascended masters or souls who have passed.

Photo Credit: Image copyright of the author

Right now there is much talk of a return of the wisdom of the Divine Feminine, which I welcome, because it is much needed. It is important to not have too much masculine energy or too much feminine - we need a balance of both, in the same way that we need a balance of right brain/left brain, light/dark, and so on and so forth.

I connect with the Goddess and the Divine Feminine through rituals and meditation, mainly. I am not a witch of many spells - I prefer to harness the power of intention through sacred rituals such as this candle ritual I did during the June 2011 lunar eclipse.

I love connecting with the ways of old and in addition to my craft, I am also learning the wisdom of the druids and shamans as well.

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A beautiful blessing and a beautiful song for you to enjoy!

I balance my work as a witch with that of what many term a "lightworker" - those drawn to helping others spiritually. It might be to spread spiritual awareness, write spiritual books, work to help the environment, provide healing, inspire others through stories or art, or any number of other things.

Over the past years people have been awakening to the idea that they may be here for a higher purpose, though they might not know what. Many have been on spiritual journeys to find what this purpose is. Receiving Divine guidance, angelic messages or other psychic phenomena is a part of this awakening. There are also souls being born who are referred to as Indigo, Crystal or Rainbow children, who also have important missions in life to fulfill.

Everyone has a life purpose and soul purpose, but some are more awake to them than others. 2011 proved to be a year of intense energy and significant shifts in consciousness. Many are finding that they were experiencing significant bouts of synchronicity or learning spiritually far quicker than in the past. This was in preparation for the new era that 2012 heralds. Far from the end of the world scenarios that are touted by extreme believers, 2012 is said to be a time of ascension, new higher consciousness and a time when twin souls reunite in order to complete divine missions together.

If you feel you have a Divine purpose but are unsure of what it might be, it is often linked to doing what you love most. It might be music, or poetry, or art, or looking after animals. For me, it is writing. While I still aspire to writing novels, I also wish to inspire others through my spiritual writing too.

Doreen Virtue's book The Lightworker's Way gives an insight into how to tap into your divine purpose and open up to guidance that can help you. I have listed it along with other key influential books below.

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I hope you enjoyed reading my story and learned something about the things close to my heart! Please let me know your thoughts here.