Suicides

I had a few readings this week dealing with suicide -- never an easy subject. I want to pass on a few things I've learned from doing readings about people who commit suicide. People who are mentally ill and commit suicide have a different energy to me than people who opt out because of sadness, money problems or relationship issues. Euthanasia is also very different. The mentally ill and terminally ill who cross themselves over don't have the same painful issues to deal with once they get to the other side. However, with all of these spirits, there is some form of guilt and remorse. It's not part of our soul plan to make this choice because, simply put, it's not our choice to make. Therefore, there will always be some karma, some re-balancing, that needs to be addressed. Many suicides are held back from progressing forward in the spirit world because of this guilt. I've had a few spirits refer to this level of the afterlife as the "stuck place." But they've all told me that your prayers help them move on from this place.

Please, if you know of someone who crossed themselves over, say a prayer for them whenever you think of them. Our prayers here greatly help them release their guilt and remorse so they can move on, make amends and continue on their soul's journey. If you don't know what to pray or how to pray for them, simply say an Our Father or any other prayer you're comfortable with and say, "I dedicate this prayer to healing this person." If you were effected by a loved one who crossed himself over, please consider forgiving him. It can truly help them and you to shed pain, open hearts, and blossom into new growth.

Courage

The theme of my readings today was courage -- having the courage to follow our dreams, our inner urgings and our deepest desires. I think most of us are as afraid of success as we are of failure. But as Marianne Williamson asks us, "Who are you not to shine?" Here's to hoping we all find the courage this week, this Spring, this year to SHINE ON.

Life Lessons

I've been sick for the past week with strep throat and a double ear infection. Not fun. But the bed rest forced me to face some harsh realities about myself. I'm not exactly a workaholic. Hardly. What I am is a compulsive multi-tasker. I have a really hard time just sitting and doing nothing. One thing being a medium has taught me is that life is precious. Time is fleeting. So I loathe wasting time. When I talk on the phone, I clean my house. When I shop at my local grocery store, I listen to audio books on my iPod. When I walk, I meditate. And when I watch TV? Forget it. I'm on the computer or knitting or paying bills or writing to-do lists. And the thinking. My God. I'm always thinking. There are only two times in my day when I'm completely focused just on what I'm doing -- when I'm sitting with clients and when I'm playing with my children.

I feel the weight of time pressing against all I want to accomplish, teach and create almost every day.

But this "lost" week I've just spent recuperating has taught me that maybe life is about more than living each moment to its absolute fullest. Maybe it's about just living it. Savoring the moment for whatever it brings. Maybe the best way to honor time is to just enjoy it.

Intuitive Children

I received an email from a parent asking how she can best help her intuitive child. I get requests like this a lot, so I thought it would be good to address it here. Your child might be psychic if he/she:

Can guess your thoughts

Feels your mood even when you're pretending otherwise

Is very sympathetic -- especially to other children and animals

Likes to play by themselves

Has a great imagination

Asks deep questions

Experiences vivid dreams and sometimes nightmares

Loves to be in nature

Talks about angels

Sees faces at night

Is very artistic

Dislikes crowds

Feels different from others

If your child is intuitive, what can you do? Read and learn about intuition. I've included a list of recommended books and websites below. Teach them about the chakras in a child friendly way. My children are very intuitive, so one thing I've done is cut out felt squares in the colors of the chakras. At bedtime, I'll put the colors on their corresponding chakras and have them breathe in the colors. Then I tell them to picture their body as a big traffic light with seven lights -- red, orange, yellow, green, light blue, dark blue and purple. And I tell them to turn their lights down for the night. John Holland has a great chapter about doing something like this with kids in his new book Spirit Whisperer. http://www.amazon.com/Spirit-Whisperer-Chronicles-Medium/dp/1401922872/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1268880176&sr=8-1

Teach your kids how to put white light around themselves each morning before school so they don't take on other people's "stuff" throughout their day. But the most important thing you can do is this: BELIEVE THEM. When they're scared at night, believe them. When they say they feel funny and they don't know why, just believe them. Don't tell them to go to bed, that it's just the wind, that there's no such thing as monsters. They don't have the words, the experiences, that we do. So to them, anything scary is a monster.

Personally, I let my children sleep with the light on when they're scared. I know all too well what it's like to be woken up by "something" in my room. And I know, for some reason, that when I have my light on, I'm not woken up at night. I also bought a rose quartz night light for each of their rooms. I put four tumbled rose quartz under the four points of their mattress to anchor the room in love. I placed amethyst pyramids under their beds to raise the vibration in the room. We also made dream catchers last summer and, because we're Catholic, we've also made rosary beads that hang on their bed posts. All of these things have ensured that my little ones now sleep through the night (for the most part!).

It's important to listen to your child's intuitive experiences without encouraging them. I've seen too many parents who are fascinated by their child's ability to the point that they almost encourage more experiences. It's a fine line to walk, but your child still needs to feel "normal;" they shouldn't be encouraged to spend too much time discussing or thinking about their abilities or they won't stay grounded. If your child is intuitive, it's the same thing as having a child with artistic or athletic abilities. You send them to art class and sign them up for soccer, but that's it. It doesn't consume your life or become their identity.

As they enter the teen years, encourage them to volunteer and give back. I believe the only reason why we have intuitive abilities is to help others. It's a service, so it's important to foster this early on.

These are some good books to check out:

The Highly Intuitive Child – Catherine Crawford

The Care and Feeding of Indigo Children – Doreen Virtue

The Crystal Children – Doreen Virtue

Raising Intuitive Children – Caron Goode and Tara Peterson

Psychic Kids – Lynne Gallagher

Children of the Now – Meg Blackburn Losey

And here are some good web sites:

www.psykids.net

www.peeksgroup.com

www.childrenofthenewearth.com

www.intuitiveparenting.wordpress.com

www.placeoflight.net

Family Ties

I met a lovely person today during a busy morning of readings. His great grandmother came through with so many messages of love and validation, and yet he'd never met her. How could this be? Family connections are deep and enduring. Our loved ones are connected to us even if we've never met them here on Earth. Think about it from your point of view. When it's your turn to transition, won't you love checking in on your children's children? And their children too? I find readings like this so comforting because it teaches us that we always have people over there loving us and wishing us well. Like our very own cheer leading team in the sky!

Tricky Spirits

What a crazy, interesting day of readings. While doing a phone reading for a woman who wanted to hear from her mother, I saw June Cleaver in my mind's eye. Wow, I thought, this mother really thinks well of herself. But who am I to judge? So I said, "Did you have a really great mom, like a June Cleaver, Donna Reed type?" The woman laughed and said, "Uh, no." So then the mom shows me a cake, an apron and stacks of books. "Did your mom like to bake?" I heard a sigh. "No." "Was she a reader?" I ventured. "Not at all," came the frustrated reply.

Once, okay twice, I've had nothing come through in a reading. Blank. Nada. And I thought there was nothing more stressful in this field than a no show from those on the other side. Until now.

This time, I clearly had her mother with me, but she was feeding me all the wrong information. What was going on? I called out to my guide for help. He showed me a vodka bottle. Oh. Finally. Now I understood.

"Was your mom a drinker?"

"Is she owning up to that? That can't be coming from her."

I had to explain to this client what and how I was seeing this information.

"Yeah, that's her then. She always wanted to be this perfect mom, but her drinking problem got in the way. But she'd never admit it. Ever."

I sat back in my chair and sighed. Where to go from here? I'd never had a spirit lie to me before. The minute her truth came out, she backed away from my energy and that was all I could get from her.

But, this reading did serve to remind me of a simple truth I'm always telling my students: just because your loved ones die, it does not mean they're given a halo and a harp upon arrival at the pearly gates. They go over there with all their same issues. Sure, it's easier over there because we don't have a clunky body. There's no issue with money or time. We have no more physical pain. The daily stressors and worries are gone. But it takes awhile over there for us to work through our addictions, our personality issues, our insecurities, and any emotional pains and traumas we experienced in our last life. Usually, we have to come back and try to learn our lessons all over again. This is why when spirits give my clients advice or a prediction during a reading, I always emphasize to my clients, "This information is coming from your grandmother. Just because she's over there does not mean she suddenly knows all. Take her advice with a grain of salt." If, for example, your father was divorced three times, you might want to think twice before taking his relationship advice.

So yes, now I've learned that sometimes spirits lie. Imagine that.

Forgiveness

I learn from every reading I do, and some leave me with more questions than answers. While trying to connect with a client's loved ones, I kept seeing the letter G and feeling, I don't know, different. I didn't feel loving or emotional or, well, anything. Normally, when a loved one is trying to come through, I'll feel their energy. I'm not sure how to describe it, but it's like they press their emotions on me. Sometimes I'll feel apologetic and then I'll know a loved one is trying to say he or she is sorry. Other times, I'll feel teary with love or happy with anticipation. But this time, I felt someone there but it was an empty feeling. A nothingness. So I called on my guides and asked them to help me make sense of this. I saw a man being dragged into my mind's eye by two tall men. He was shackled and they were carrying him under his arms, dragging him into view. He looked at me, and his eyes were empty.

I still didn't know what to make of this. I said to the client, "Do you have a loved one on the other side whose name starts with the letter G?" She thought a moment before saying no, she did not.

I tried to talk to the reluctant spirit again, but all I felt this time was fear and uneasiness.

So I said to my client, "There's someone here who needs to apologize to you, but he's afraid."

She just looked at me blankly. "I have no idea who that could be. Can you get anything else?"

So I tried again, closing my eyes and pushing my energy out towards this man and when his message hit me, I popped my eyes open in shock. Sometimes, my job can be very hard, and I have to be very careful as to how I word these messages.

"I'm sensing a violation."

"A what?"

"Did someone break boundaries with you when you were younger, in your late teens?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"Were you ever raped?"

"No," she said.

Now this was getting tricky. Maybe this message was meant for my next client. I couldn't be sure. Either way, this poor woman was quickly losing her patience with me.

"Okay, I'm sensing a man whose name starts with the letter G like Gary, George, Gene who needs to apologize for hurting you or someone close to you. But he's very reluctant to do so."

"Oh my," she said. "My sister was raped by a man named Garth. But that was years ago, more than thirty years. I didn't even know he'd died."

I sat back as relief flooded my body. The reluctant spirit got his message across, my client had an important message to pass on to her sister, but I was left with questions. Why was he being made to apologize? Did he want to and then backed out at the last minute? And why did he appear in shackles? Was he really handcuffed or did my guides just show him to me that way so I'd know I was dealing with a criminal element? Was passing on this apology something he needed to do to facilitate his own growth? Probably, but is an apology meaningful if it's not from the heart? In order for forgiveness to be fully granted, doesn't the perpetrator have to feel sincerely sorry?

Many times after passing on special messages in a reading, later that night, I'll hear the spirit whisper "Thank you" in my ear. It's always a lovely sentiment. But after this reading? Nothing.

Full Circle

Today I had two very difficult readings. One involved a man who recently lost his son, and the other was a son who'd recently lost his father. I notice that my readings follow patterns like this all the time. One week, all my readings involved victims of sexual abuse. Another week, all my clients were going through a divorce. One time, I had a day with clients who were all in recovery. I'm not sure why this happens, but I think it's another reason why "coincidences" are so important. If we just follow the signs that coincidences leave us, we'll find our way every time.

But the readings I did today reminded me that life can be hard and unfair. Why should a father have to lose his young son? Why should a teenager have to go through life without the guidance of his father? I wish I knew. All I can do as the medium is provide validation that these men are on the other side, happy and still able to see what's going on. There are no simple answers, no clear path to happiness. I think all we can do is hold on to the hope that we will see our loved ones again and surrender to the mystery that is this life we all have to lead.

In high school, one of my favorite teachers was the kindest, oldest nun I'd ever known. Her name was Sister Elaine and she taught Trigonometry. Math has never been my friend, and so that semester I haunted Sister Elaine after school. "I don't even know what sin, cos, tan mean, sister. How am I going to pass this test?" She'd sigh wearily and explain it to me again. I remember one day, she patted my back and said, "Just ask your guardian angel for help." Finally, after one particularly frustrating afternoon, she turned to me and said, "Samantha, stop asking why. Sometimes we just have to follow the formula." That remains the best advice I've ever received.

I don't know why my clients today have to endure the grief they're living with every day, but I do believe, sincerely trust, that one day all will be revealed to us. Until then, all we can do is follow the formula of our life which, for me anyway, is FAITH + TRUST + SURRENDER = PEACE.

Universal Language

I received an email today asking me if I can talk to spirits on the other side who don't speak English. I smiled because this is a question I often get. The short answer is YES. I've spoken with Italians, Spanish, French and Korean spirits who've never spoken a word of English. How does that work? Energy. Once our loved ones pass to the other side, they no longer have a body. So they communicate through thought. They give me symbols that I have to interpret. For example, an Italian grandmother who'd never lived in the US or spoken English, showed me two pictures -- a pink ribbon and a grandmother hugging a grand daughter. So I asked my client, "Did you recently fight breast cancer?" When she said yes, I was able to tell her that her grandmother had comforted her through that. I believe we all speak the same language over there. It's only here on Earth that we've complicated everything!

Welcome to The Crystal Chick!

In this blog, I hope to educate, inspire and remind people about our intuition and how to safely and effectively get in touch with this very real sixth sense. As an intuitive medium, I have the wonderful blessing of being able to keep a foot in both worlds. I learn something amazing from each reading I do. I plan to use this blog to pass along these lessons in a fun and informative way. Here's what I know: our loved ones who've gone on are still with us. When they transition, they're not handed a harp and a cloud. What they are given is a life review where they experience their life from the point of view of those effected by their positive and negative choices on Earth. I'm also shown in readings that many of them take on jobs after they've "settled" in. I've spoken with two young men who died of drug overdoses who now work tirelessly from the other side trying to help drug addicted people here. I've been told by a former OBGYN that he's still helping babies being born -- just from the other side. He now counsels souls just before they leave for the Earth plane. One woman who was a teacher and foster mom is still teaching young souls on the other side. Most people, however, choose to just focus on their own process and helping their loved ones who are still here.

When I do readings, they're often anxious to come through with validations to let us know that they're okay, happy and doing well. And they are. Life literally goes on. It's just in a different place. What I intend for this blog to do is validate that it's all real -- yes, Virginia, there is a God (or higher power if you prefer), there is a heaven, and a shadow place and all sorts of levels in between, and there are angels and guides. We are never alone. "Ask and you shall receive." There is a deeper meaning and purpose to our lives and all the events that comprise our existence here. "Seek and you shall find."

So stay tuned and learn how you can "knock" and open the the door to your intuition.