sensible healing

I'm an Advanced Reiki Master Teacher, Spiritualist Approved Healer and Medium amongst other things that people call me.

I'm often asked if I receive messages for people I don't know when I'm out and about and the short answer is yes, sometimes I do and I also 'pick up' or sense a person's mood or energy or an event that is close to them either in the past or coming in the future.

Many fledgling mediums or people who are sensitive but don't recognise their abilities have a habit of telling people when they sense something around them. It's hard enough gaining respect in the field of metaphysics and paranormal activity without acting like a fruit cake when in public. Telling people everything is always a mistake but novice mediums make it time and time again, never learning when to keep quiet or more to the point, never asking their guides if they should speak up. A medium should always question the source of their information.

Just because a medium/sensitive has sensed something about someone does not give them the right to comment on it. People like their privacy and like to believe that their thoughts are theirs alone. Some people are terrified of the idea that spirit people can watch them and dip into their lives when they choose. More people than you would believe have had difficult lives or tragic losses and clumsy attempts at mediumship and advice giving by someone they barely know or is a stranger to them can do more harm than good. Others are deeply religious and view mediumship as coming from the devil himself. That's fine, they're entitled to their opinions. However, telling someone that you sense something or a spirit around them, that they have a message for them, or to be careful when they are driving etc., is an invasion of their privacy.
The only time a medium/sensitive should interfere and tell someone what they are feeling is if they are asked to. There is no grey area, no maybes, the answer to the question of should I? is a straight no. Do not meddle however strongly you feel that you should - you will not be thanked for it.

The same discipline should be applied to absent healing.

Many healers hear of someone in need and are indeed often asked by a well meaning friend to send absent healing to a person in need. That's alright I hear you say. Yes it is - up to a point.

The one thing I learned when I did my Reiki courses after I spent six years as a trainee spiritualist healer is that healing is the same, from the same source, with the same intention and neither method is better than the other, it is merely choice. But the difference in teaching varies drastically and one of the teaching elements of spiritual healing is to attune to the spirit of the person who is asking for healing. This was not taught in Reiki and I have never yet heard of if being taught to Reiki healers (if I'm wrong please correct me, I am interested to know). I did my Reiki courses like everyone else - quickly, but my spiritual healing required me to work with people at healing sessions and I did so for at least three hours per week for years and have a mentor who answered my many questions over that time.

Reiki is taught as a benign source of energy that we can manipulate in our auras and physical bodies in order to bring about balance and well-being. Anyone can access the source because the intention of healing someone or self cannot cause harm hence the benign description. There is no need to attune to the patient, it is not even mentioned but in spiritual healing it is a critical part of the process between patient and healer and one that takes practise to get right (hence the training period - now reduced to two years).

The spiritual healer will sit with the patient and meditate until they connect with the spirit of that person which resides in the heart chakra. Then the healer will ask the spirit if healing should be given and will be received. Permission is sought from the higher self of the patient because there is the possibility that the person should not receive further energy and there could be many reasons for this that the healer and even the patient themselves could be blissfully unaware of. If the healer then proceeded to channel energy anyway it may cause harm in the long term. e.g. A patient asks for healing, the healer attunes with their spirit and it denies acceptance of energy. The healer channels anyway believing that they know best. The progress of disease is accelerated or delayed, causing disturbance to the natural flow of events and experiences for the soul of the patient leading them to have to start the process again, causing the soul anguish. The soul being the highest part of the person and therefore of ultimate knowledge regarding their path and fortune, it is linked directly to the spirit which is linked further to the physical body - making a chain of energy and contact. Therefore the spirit of the person has the answers to their physical life path and events it should contain. The exploration of psychic and spiritual realms may not be in their remit and a distraction from the physical existence they should be experiencing for example and the spirit is the contact the healer should make to determine if hands on contact healing should be given, absent healing where the person does not know they are in receipt of energy at all or none to be given by a healer.

A healer should remember that just because they are not to channel healing to a person does not mean that higher beings are not giving help and energy where it's needed. Perhaps the healer is not developed enough to channel the frequency needed or maybe is just not the right person for the job? The healer may never know why, but must always trust.

In my experience a usual Reiki healer will miss the attunement step and channel the energy anyway without any knowledge of if they should.

I'm not down on Reiki, don't get me wrong, I have after all invested in it myself, I'm just pointing out that the attunement step is vital if healers are going to be effective and successful in improving patients and changing their health and therefore the medical perception of healing practise. Without attunement patients may feel the benefits of restful relaxation and healing energy but their improvement progress may be fleeting and they could return to their previous state of illness and dysfunction if not even worse for the experience. The healers job is to facilitate the healing process for their clients/patients and sometimes this means not giving them what they ask for but instead being a listening ear and support whilst they experience the journey of the soul - however unpleasant or difficult that experience may be.

blog amendment

Hi there, I have changed the settings on the blog to enable non-members to post comments and questions. I look forward to hearing from you. Avril

an extract from my novel Angelica's Promise

Verity and I take a walk with Rachel and Sean in the park as arranged. We feed the ducks as the sun warms our backs. The park is busy on such a summer day and I begin to notice all the things that people are enjoying that I will never do again.
A couple lie together on the grass and smile and caress each other. The dark skinned young man strokes his girl’s arm and whispers something in her ear that makes her laugh out loud. She flicks her long fair hair and the man kisses her neck while she giggles. I am jealous of their intimacy, something I may never experience again.
An elderly couple stand beside us feeding the ducks, they are so at ease with one another, smiling and holding hands when they leave.
A woman about my age is calling for her toddler son and when he comes running towards her she scoops him up and twirls him around with her cheek pressed against his. Then her husband joins them and kisses them both tenderly, he has his arm around her waist when they walk away.
A group of friends having a picnic laugh and joke around. They open a bottle of champagne, the cork flying into the lake causing more laughter and shouting.
All these things that seem insignificant on any other day to every other person are to me - piercing.

Monday morning comes around easily and the saying 'time waits for no man' is starkly clear to me. I want to suspend time, to have longer whilst I am well but the universe has other ideas. The sun rises and falls just to mock me and the moon orbits our planet to wink at me through the clouds and say 'won't be long now.'
I had no need to consider the horror of leaving my life before I was ready to, I was too busy enjoying it. Too busy grasping for the things I wanted in it. That includes Verity. I wanted a baby so much that I was willing to sacrifice my partner for it, burn his love in a flame of temper and desire to achieve my goal of being a mother. His opinions didn't mean anything to me while my injected hormones raged around in my veins. I was obsessed, some would say. Ben was the casualty in my campaign of war against the biological odds of my ageing and fertility - but it was worth it.
As I lie in bed now staring up at the ceiling, thinking over my actions and sometimes devious thoughts - I have to admit them - I feel ashamed and can feel the heat rise in my cheeks when I picture myself saying some of the hurtful things I threw at Ben. If I had been a man and not the woman he loved  he would have punched me and I would have deserved it.
A part of me feels let down that he didn't do something drastic like that to bring me up short. Wake me to my compulsion to ignore all that was good for me and trade it for something wonderful - yes - but something I allowed to cause destruction.
It wont do me any good to lie here chastising myself and feeling bad because it will set the tone for the rest of the day. This Verity's last week of school before the summer holiday and I need to tie up a few loose ends before I can devote our last summer to making it a memorable one.

creation of love exercise

This is a lovely exercise for you to try and was taught to me by a very dear friend (you know who you are). I remember the first time I tried it and was amazed at how easy it was to create the energy of love. Further to that it enables you to realise how easy it is to also create negative energy and how a thought has a form and power that has substance. You will understand more after you have tried this little gem.

As usual it's quick and simple to do and remember.

Find a quiet place where you wont be disturbed for a while and sit comfortably. The reason I tell you to sit and not lie down is simple, you are more likely to fall asleep if you get too comfortable and you wont have achieved meditation but you will have had a nice snooze!

Breathe deeply and regularly until you feel comfortable and at ease. With every out breath imagine all your stresses and worries leaving you and with every in breath imagine white light travelling into your lungs as it heals and brings peace to every atom of your being.

Now, think of love, how the feeling is, if it helps think of someone that you love deeply and then imagine your love as a pink light that is beginning to grow in front of you. Keep sending love to the pink cloud/bubble of love and do this until it is bigger than you are. Look at what you have created, admire what your mind is capable of. Take note of the colour and movement of your creation.

Now take a mental step forward and put yourself inside the centre of the love cloud you have created. It is safe to do so, afterall it's an extention of you.
What do you feel? What does it mean to you? What do you understand from this experience?
In your own time and when you are ready you can step back out of the love and return your full awareness to your own body. Don't waste the wonderful creation but instead ask the divine angels of light to collect it and use it where it will do most good, you don't need it anymore, you can create more whenever you like.

Do you now understand that creating negative energy is just as easy as creating love? The difference is that it takes more of your energy to create negativity whereas creating love is more natural to us and easier. You have choice over which you create and use in your daily life too.

Now you know how to create - easy wasn't it? - you can apply this to daily life. If someone is giving you a hard time, if they are grumpy, miserable, ill or grieving, whatever their circumstance you can either add to their misery (not deliberately) by feeding their negativity with sympathy, discussion, being angry on their behalf etc., or you can create love and surround them with it and help to dissolve their anger or misery. You can also add the white light of divinity and gold of the angels too if you want to, remember there is no wrong when you work with love, you can't harm another being with love as long as you don't attempt to control them. Love should offer freedom and learning and support, never control. You can use it for buildings and locations too where there is a stain on the atmosphere and also in conjunction with the cleansing exercise on this blog. Don't forget yourself too, cloaking your own aura in the light of love is the best psychic protection there is and creating love in the heart chakra brings about a feeling of self love. You could try the exercise in a pair or group and step into each other's love light and compare notes. Enjoy experiementing with the power of love and spreading it as far and wide as possible, the world needs all it can get.

See how you get on with this exercise and let me know how it works for you. Comments welcome.

how do you know when someone is close to death?

As a medium I am often asked if I can tell if someone is going to die soon and what I sense around such people. (I don't know why people ask me this I don't walk around with a black cowl and scythe.)

The answer is yes, I often can see if a person is moving to their passing stage but not always. Sometimes I just don't pick up on my senses if I'm involved in doing something else or simply not switching in or listening to my instincts, I can't be on high alert all the time, it's neither feasible, practical or worthwhile.

When a person is moving towards the end of their life, no matter their age, a breakdown of the aura can be seen. The aura is the electro-magnetic layer of the physical body and if the physical body is no longer requiring it, then it will begin to disperse. (There are plenty of google images of the human aura and chakra diagrams if you need to look it up.)

I usually see this as a greying aura, there will be no colour visible and there are thinned areas of the aura much like cotton wool when it is pulled and you can see strands joining the larger pieces together but it looks worn and threadbare. This thinning is a result of the spiritual energy no longer being fed into the aura but instead returning to nourish the soul in readiness for the return of an aspect of it i.e. your spirit. (I should point out here that the soul has many aspects to it and you, the being you are now in body, is not the only part of your soul experiencing some form of life right now, you are a fragment of your soul and its learning, not the whole). whew! that was deep.

Anyhow, if the aura is not receiving energy, then the physical body via the main chakras is not receiving energy either and that will in turn lead to a break down of the physical body and its major organs and blood system because it is not being fed properly.

I have seen living people cut off from their soul and this energy connection, they are usually ill, of grey pallor and struggle immensely with life but they keep hanging on because it is not their time to pass over yet. It is possible for such individuals to continue living in a body that is like a shell, it eats, sleeps, moves, has sex, talks but there is no reason or happiness, flow or pleasure in their lives, or feeling or expression of deep emotion.

When a person has reached their natural time, as I said - regardless of age or what we might determine to be their time to die, the aura will begin its natural degeneration.

The aura shrinks too at this time and moves in quite close to the body of the person. They might feel constantly cold, selfish (due to the disconnection with other earthly persons because the aura is no longer giving them emotional information) irritable, tired and frightened.

The conscious brain struggles to comprehend the destruction of the energy field because it is a subtle manifestation and the brain deals more with facts, figures and definite senses. However, those who are mediums or understand energy do recognise when they are becoming weak and nearing their own end as do many people who have never worked with energy, their intuition tells them that they are getting close.

As a healer there is nothing I can do to restore the aura when it has begun to degrade. I can meditate with the person and give them peace and some understanding, I can show them where to go and who will meet them removing any fear of passing that they might have and this gives enormous comfort to them. Neither can I slow the end for them, it's true that we all have a time slot and should we miss it by a long way we will then have to wait to be collected to make the short journey home. Our loved ones on the other side of life try their hardest to make us understand before we pass that they are waiting and excited that we will be joining them, (often through dreams and visions) but some people just miss the point and end up getting lost for a while anyway, usually through fear or atheism, but they will be fetched in the end, when their mind opens enough for them to see the beauty of life.

At the same time that the aura begins to break down the body's main chakras also begin to dysfunction and close. The first to go is the root, (as the energy system will close from the bottom up so as to end with the return to the soul which is from the crown of the head. It closes this way so that the human spirit, that rests in the heart will be pushed up to the crown and out the way it is safest and not be pushed down into the root and trapped by the lowest thoughts of existence that sit there in that chakra.)

When the root is in dysfunction incontinence will be experienced, this state may last for a long or short time depending upon the emotions of the person concerned or their acceptance of life and death, their overall beliefs, their view of ageing and what it brings and their health issues generally.

The next chakra to close is the sacral, bringing with it nervousness, kidney issues, liver problems, lower intestinal issues. Also regrets may be expressed and wishes of 'what if' and 'if only'.

The next is the solar plexus, bringing fear or peace depending upon the person. A disconnection with life and its demands and realism. A clinging sense and fear of being alone.

Then the heart chakra will end its cycle, freeing the spirit to roam out of the body and discover its new invironment whilst the physical body is still alive so the spirit can return to safety when in needs to. This is when the spirit friends and helpers will be around more closely to keep the passing person close.
There may be issues with the heart at this stage if not encountered already or through illness generally.
The person may be in and out of what we recognise as consciousness and be much sleepier than previously.

The throat chakra begins to close next and the person passing may find that there are things that they must say to ease their conscience, let people know that they love them or express their regrets. It's important that the throat ease out unsaid words as the spirit, that is now risen into the throat chakra, will be urging it to do so.

The third eye illuminates when the spirit reaches it. Suddenly things become clearer to the person passing as the third eye reveals a new world to them, one that they can go to, peacefully. The person can still deny this at this stage and many do, sadly, making it harder for them to pass on. It's also at this point that people who are considered to be at death's door often rally and seem lucid and bright for a short period before deteriorating further.

When reaching the crown of the head the spirit has the sensation of being born again back into the spirit world. They pop out to see something wondrous and often unexpected. There are loved ones to meet them and they become aware of the immense and powerful energy they carry now that they are out of the heavy and cumbersome physical body. This time should be one of great joy and often is, until that is they remember that they are also leaving people behind who mean a great deal to them. Such is life. It happens on the way here and on the way out again. We all meet together again in between those times and carry each other in our hearts. It is still possible even at this stage for the passing spirit to deny what is happening to them and become stuck in the gloom of the earthbound soul.

For the observer who can see energy at this last stage of leaving the crown the spirit is visible usually as a white mist, but one that has form. Not human form, but shape and outline. It moves quickly and is a beautiful sight.

There are clear signs when someone is going to be leaving us, if you know what to look for. The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying has some interesting observations about the closing down of the energy on the outside and on the inside too. My observations are my own. It's not always nice to see that someone's aura is breaking down, especially if I know that person but acceptance is the key to most things in life and nothing I can do will change when their soul has decided to move on. Death is the choice of the individual, the means, the time, the pain, the duration of demise all amount to the soul's choice. A long life is no measure to a life well lived and the duration of a person's life is no measure to their achievements. So live well, laugh and cram in as much as you can! That way you will have a lot to talk about on the other side.

how to connect with your own spirit

As with any exercise or tip I will give you this one is simple and easy and quick if you need it to be and can be done anywhere. No special tools or props are required and you can do this alone or with a partner or group. There are no rules only good practise.

The first time that you try this do it somewhere quiet where you will not be disturbed but then later with practise you should be able to do any of the exercises quickly, no matter how much noise surrounds you and you will be able to trust your own instincts.

Either lay or sit quietly (don't get too comfortable or you will fall asleep), a good place to connect with your spirit is in the bath. The water helps you to relax and also aids visualisations and spirit connection and usually the door is locked so that you feel safe and will be undisturbed.

Breathe deeply, a few times until you fall into the natural rhythm of breathing, rest a moment, there is no rush. In your mind, to yourself state that you intend to connect with your spirit, the spirit that resides within your heart centre and in the core of your being, the real you, your light. (Or words to that effect).

Then place the palm of your right hand on your heart centre to mark your intention and the palm of your left hand over your solar plexus to keep your power inward instead of reaching out for guidance as is often done. You are closing your energy circuit to enable your energy to flow around and within you rather than out and searching in the ether for knowledge.

Next take your concentration to behind your eyes, you reside there, you see the outer world from there, you gain information from there about others', about your surroundings, signals to survive your daily life and its demands. From here we are going into your inner world, to find your truths.

Imagine the hara line through the centre of the body. This is a strong centre line that runs from the crown of the head through to the root and down to the ground, it lines up all the major chakras and roots us to the earth as well as connecting us to the divine higher realms. I see my hara line as white and cylindrical, poker straight and full of light. This is the line that needs to be brought into sharp focus when you are asked to centre yourself and is the mainstay of the energy system much like our physical spine is to the human body.

Picture your hara line as a lift shaft - but full of white light. Your consciousness can travel up and down this shaft whenever you want it to. You can access the interior of the chakras by using this method and can cleanse them individually or see what the light inside them is like, how each chakra feels when you enter its environment and what may need attention or healing. It's an interesting exercise to try but do keep an open mind about what you might sense and always take the first thing that you see or sense as being the truth however odd you find it, you can puzzle it out later.

Now take your consciousness from behind your eyes down to the throat chakra and pause. Take a look at the entrance to the throat, what do you see? what is the colour? is the colour bright or murky? don't enter the throat chakra yet but instead travel further down until you reach the entrance to the heart chakra. How do you feel standing before the entrance? what colour are you presented with? is the colour clear and bright or not? do you feel apprehensive or eager to get into your own spirit and meet it?

However you feel, take a deep breathe, keep your consciousness in the heart and step forward into the cavity of the heart chakra. Be open to feel and sense, to receive and to communicate with your spirit.

What does your spirit look like? is it like you or different? is it pleased to see you? does it have information for you? is it displeased with you for some reason?

At this point you can ask questions, feel the responses, put in requests, express your desires. Whatever you want to do can be done here in complete safety and honesty. You are communing with your interior self and anything is possible. Sometimes you might want to meet with your spirit just to obtain peace and connection and no information will pass between you and that is alright too.

When you feel that you have spent enough time there you can retrace your steps. Notice the colours again as you return your consciousness to behind your eyes and see if there has been a change or improvement.

Remember after any meditation to centre and ground yourself (exercises on this blog) it's very important that you are able to function in the real world and not be distracted.

Make a few notes on what you experienced and compare them next time you do the exercise. It may only take you a few minutes to complete the connection or it may take longer, everyone is individual and you should give yourself enough time to make a strong and meaningful connection. Remember that there is nothing to fear from this exercise unless you are scared of yourself! Enjoy.

dreaming of the dead

We all dream. We may remember our dreams we may not. Typically we usually remember the more disturbing ones because our brain and body react to the stronger stimulus within them however we also remember deeply emotional dreams. Sometimes in the waking stage where we are rousing and coming to consciousness we have vivid images that can seem very real. This is the time when you should take notice and attempt to remember the content you receive as it is often in this state that we try to achieve during meditation. The state of being relaxed enough to accept what comes but just alert enough to coherently remember details and understand our visions, thoughts and feelings.

If you have a vivid dream or vision or even daydream that concerns a deceased person known to you then pay special attention to your emotions at the time, as you will be receiving the emotions of that person trying to communicate with you. Emotions often tell us more than words or expressions can as people are very good at hiding their true feelings although spirit people rarely do this - whether they can or not I don't know for sure, but I suspect not as they are pure energy and thought.

When you have a strong connection with this type of vision or dream it is often the spirit person trying to give you a message, so try to listen. You may dream of them if they are on your mind or you are concerned about them and this can just be your psyche reaching out to them and creating a meeting with them but a real meeting will have the emotion attached and you may receive information that you were previously unaware of rather than if the meeting is of your own creation so take your time to understand what is happening and keep a notepad and pen handy to record your feelings before you forget.

The thing I regard as most important is our gut instinct, our feelings about situations tell us more truths than we can question. We should always ask ourselves what makes us happy, what gives us the most pleasure, what fires us up and enthuses us with ideas and excitement? The answers you receive are from inside yourself, from your own spirit and it will never lie to you or mislead you. If we sense danger we shouldn't ignore that feeling, we can investigate our fear, check it is grounded in reality or phobia or deep rooted anxiety before panicking or acting upon it.

By the same token we should express ourselves freely too. We shouldn't fear our emotions, if we want to cry at a film, give someone a hug, pay someone a compliment or laugh - then we should. Our spirit demands that emotion for a reason and often that reason is for a release of energy or for an intake of energy. The spirit lives moment to moment - children are a great example of this as they haven't yet been conditioned to control their emotions or time. They do what they want when they want to do it. That of course is not practical in every day adult living but living emotionally intelligently is possible and necessary for a healthy body and mind. Radiate your spirit from within and let the love and hope that your spirit carries reach other people and don't be afraid to be yourself. In doing that you will find immense strength, creativity and freedom and your energy will flow healthily leading to positivity and mental well-being.

When you stifle your spirit, ignore your desires, suppress your nature then your energy becomes stale and a sense of stuckness comes about along with feeling trapped, depressed, uncreative and unhappy.

Being free of course does not mean that you can be offensive, aggressive or self-interested. All your actions demanded of the spirit must be for the highest good and harm no-one. You are meant to be spreading love and light, that is everyone's life purpose. Tolerance and understanding and development of the mind are the aims of the human spirit.

Try the energy cleansing exercise on this blog then meditate with the intention to connect with your spirit self which I will add tomorrow.

destructive doggy

I was asked a question not so long ago concerning a dog and his sudden change of behaviour.
Here's the thing - the dog was ten years old. It lived in the same house for years without any problems. The owners of the house started digging new foundations for an extension and were changing the internal layout of the property causing disruption and dust and noise and all the other stuff that goes along with such work.
The dog was fine with the workmen, the mess etc. However since opening up the basement which had been sealed due to damp since before the owners moved in, he had been growling and barking at empty space, scratching at doors to get out of rooms, being destructive and biting the bottoms of the doors to escape. Howling at night and chasing around the house too. He was off his food and stared at his owners alot as well as past them. He was spooking them out but worse - the owners were considering having him put to sleep because his behaviour had changed so much that he was hard to live with. The vet had checked out the dog and could find nothing wrong and could only offer dementia and aging as a diagnosis.
The aging process is a possible solution but I would focus more on the change of energy that had invaded his environment.
The house is old and is on farmland that has been undisturbed for centuries. Perhaps there is an old burial site beneath it and the renovations had disturbed the ancestors buried there. It could be that a victim of crime is risen again after being freed from their hidden grave. It could be something that the builders had brought with them, a roaming or lost spirit. It could be the spirit of an animal. It could also be simply a change in the energy frequency caused by the land being disturbed. Or even an underground waterway that is affecting the energy of the house that sits above it because of the digging in the basement and surrounding area. Or electrical pylons, mobile phone mast, minerals in the water etc.
It could also be that the dog was reacting to his food or other foreign influence such as a poison or natural toxin he had access too.
It's important to consider all aspects when looking into such a case. Just because something appears to be paranormal doesn't mean it is and all logical explanations have to be looked at first.
Personally in this case I thought that there was a spirit of a boy in the house and that the building works had brought him to activity, but I could come to that conclusion because I had investigated properly using my senses and knowledge added to the fact that I could plainly see the spirit of the boy when I went to the house. That's where a trained medium becomes the only person able to deal with the energies being created and the spirit person that needs help. I spoke to the boy, assured him that nothing bad could happen to him anymore and that I could show him the way home to people who cared about him or to the angels who would look after him. After some convincing he allowed me to take him to the path that would lead him into the light and his recovery. He had been murdered by his father two hundred years ago and hidden in what used to be a pond. The boy guided me to the spot, which had been dug up by the builders and new concrete laid. He also guided me to a well in the grounds. No such well seemed to exist until the owner began to dig in the spot and found - you guessed it - an old well.
An exorcist would have banished the child, a witch removed him and cleansed the property but where would the boy go? A smudging or cleansing ceremony would not rid the building of its guest and a healer would not necessarily 'see' the spirit. Only a medium with clairvoyant or clairsentient or clairaudient abilities could help in this case, because the others had been tried by the owner of the house and had failed. As usual - I was a last resort before the men in white coats came to take people away. Sleep deprivation, arguments about differing opinions and lack of understanding meant that it took the owners three years before they found me and the 'problem' was cleared up in thirty minutes. There is a place for healers and mediums in our society, we do a valuable job that no-one else can do but the medium must be genuine, moralistic, compassionate and trained. I have done spirit rescue in lots of situations - some nicer than others - but it is always worthwhile and satisfying when done right, mistakes can be costly - to the medium.
The dog is healed, the house finished and everyone happy about a positive outcome.

vampires

I'm currently reading the classic novel Dracula by Bram Stoker. Although I have read many books and seen many films in the horror genre the character of Dracula is one of the most enduring and fascinating. Bram Stoker's treatment of the elusive and secretive count is masterful leaving the reader knowing what a monster he is but also desperate to learn more about him but further succumbing to the romance of surrender to such a being. Although the writing itself is from a different era it remains clear and tantalising in the language used and I can't imagine it being written any other way and being successful in conjuring such a vivid picture of the era in which it was created.

That said, I began to wonder about vampires and if people believe in them in the Dracula sense or any other way they could be interpreted.

During my experience I have really only met vampires in the physical form of a human body and it's my guess that you all know one too - personally. Each of us knows the person that drains everyone they come into contact with. They always have a drama or a story that pins you down until you have no energy left. Or they are aggressive and critical and take your energy leaving you feeling useless, tired and beaten.

Energy vampires will offload their woes onto you, leave you feeling exhausted and go on their merry way feeling better. Of course they feel better, they have just taken your life force energy and consumed it and you have allowed it to happen.

Spirit vampires are rare and they certainly do not shape shift into the form of a bat or attach themselves to your neck! They are just the same as living ones and will try to take a bite out of your energy field. It is natural for all of us to seek energy when our own is low, the aura needs sustenance and a flow of cosmic and earth energy is needed to complete the circuit of our electro-magnetic body. Just as when we feel tired we might reach for a sugary snack to boost our energy the aura reaches out and searches for a shot of energy in the same way.

For an empath or healer this is a particularly difficult problem to live with but an easy one to solve. Without psychic protection you are open to such feasting from others, they see your energy, it glows and looks attractive and the natural light body part of a person will have a little taste in passing or take a chunk out of you over a longer time, this is detrimental to the empath/healer as they will tire easily and need more sleep to recuperate but then the cycle repeats itself and in the long term can lead to fatigue based illnesses. There is a post on here about psychic protection and how to perform it as well as cleansing the energy field which is paramount before you seal any undesirable energy inside with you.

Vampires in the physical body (as a person) usually try to instill fear in people and particularly children. Anything that promotes a fearful reaction means that the vampire can make a connecting cord that will provide him with a flow of energy over time, therefore he will try to intimidate, frighten, weaken his target. If you stand firm against such a person and resist their belittling attempts, not only will you feel better about yourself but you will have achieved a psychic protection technique I call blocking.

To block a person who is being confrontational, aggressive, passive aggressive or intimidating try this. You can use this technique as a spiritual one or if you have issues with spiritual belief then use it as a mental technique. It works particularly well with children who feel they are being bullied as it empowers them internally. Simply imagine a large mirror in front of you but facing away from you and at the person/vampire, this will reflect back to them the negative energy and thoughts they are sending to you. If you want to take this a step further you can imagine yourself inside a mirror ball, so that all angles are covered. However, I personally use the following technique to stop anything in its tracks. I have no patience or time for negative beings or actions and I give them little of my attention. I prefer to seal the offending being (physical or spiritual) within a crystal orb. I imagine a clear quartz crystal sphere surrounding the problem, I fill it with white light and the pink light of love. The crystal severs any cords that the being has managed to forge and cuts off their energy supply completely. Then I hand it over the the angels to deal with (simply by asking them to take over) and go about my day. I used to suffer with psychic attack on a regular basis (this can happen when you are developing and carrying a lot of light and power or simply through the jealousy of others) but I never suffer with it now since using my crystal technique, negativity is quickly and easily dispensed with at little energetic cost to me. Try it and let me know if it works for you.

2012

There is a lot of talk about 2012 at the moment and the predicted changes that will happen to our planet. We have heard that there will be earthquakes, floods, fires, energy shifts, polar shift, planetary alignment, alien invasion, death and destruction. Sounds just like the end of the world doesn't it?
Some of the above things will happen, certainly the natural disasters, because they happen anyway on quite a regular basis if you follow international news you will know that. No-one can predict such things and maintain their credibility unless they are scientific predictions and precautions can be given to save lives. To predict them as a matter of course is to state the obvious, of course they will happen - in time.
As for the other things listed I understand that there is a polar shift that scientists are aware of that will happen this year in December. Also there is a planetary alignment that rarely happens that will take place. (you can google your own research on these events). As for aliens...well they're already here so nothing to fear there. Why should we fear anything? sometimes mans' sense of self preservation is so strong that he loses his reasoning regarding acceptance of other life forms and the true threat they pose. If we are to die, what then? will the world end, will life cease for ever, as individuals will we be alone?
No. None of these things will happen. We will continue to exist in our natural state of the light body - this physical body is only a temporary vehicle for us anyway. We will continue to love and learn and be in a state of acceptance - so that's not frightening is it.
What frightens me more is when people pass up opportunities, neglect their health, don't live life to the full - because of fear.
There are those groups of people who will fully embrace the energy changes this year will bring and they will immerse themselves in the knowledge and experience of it. There will be those people too who ignore and think ridiculous the forecast changes and that is their choice, they will continue to be physical and ignorant of the sensitivities of the human spirit and the meaning of life. Then there are those of us who sit somewhere in the middle expecting something to happen, but not wishing to be in the centre of things and certainly not wishing to suffer for the changes to occur - we will leave the suffering to others and be thankful that our lives wont be disrupted too much.
In all things there must be balance so there is a place for all of the groups and their thoughts and beliefs. I don't think that worry is a useful emotion regarding 2012 and neither is obsession. What will be will be and as with all things in life acceptance is the key to a smoother ride, so notice the changes, welcome them, be curious about your world but allow those who are in a better position than you to do what needs to be done to manage the changes. All you have to do is look after yourself and those you love and carry on as usual.

philosophy - channelled 11 Feb 2012

Giving in to human nature is as close as you get to giving up. The human spirit is so strong, so resilient and yet simple will power overrules it so easily. The mind is a powerful tool, hardly used as yet by mankind, but still you give your power away, to a lover, to jealousy, to vices, to those who seem more powerful than you. Never give up your independent mind, will and actions. You are an individual and are allowed to make your own choices, it is the only way forward spiritually speaking. Those that love you will love you anyway.

Sometimes mistakes will be made, but how else will you learn? Sometimes choices will be difficult but the heart must always have the higher ground, you know deep inside what you are to do, who you are to love, anything less is compromise and unfair to the other party - everyone deserves true love, deep, lasting and respectful love.

Our choices are what make us. Some are braver than others, will travel far and wide to seek answers for their soul, others will travel in their mind and dreams more than body, but wisdom will still be sought and found.

Being truthful with yourself is what is most important, you cannot hide the truth from the soul and the soul shares its knowledge with others in the soul group, there is a collective learning as well as an individual truth that must be found. The soul is bright, calm, searching always for more in its healthy state, some souls do fragment or split due to deep trauma but all is healed in time and all learn from it.

The soul wastes nothing, even when things are bad for you individually, your soul is growing. When you struggle with earthly situations and you ask for your angels to help you sometimes they cannot. If your soul has agreed to experience a certain set of circumstances then your spirit will have to undergo them. No angel, guide or healer can interfere with soul choices, but healing can be brought for understanding, peace and balance whilst the situation is present. In the end everything is alright no matter what the outcome.

The light is a gentle power where your spirit feels at home, you can bring it into your everyday life whilst in the body, no need to wait for death. Harness the power you have available to you, ask for it to come to you and it will. You do not need faith, religion or ritual, only the will.

soul groups - in response to a question

It is believed and accepted in spiritual thinking that no-one is alone, we are independent in thought and action but our behaviour also affects other beings who are in our soul group and those beyond that boundary.

For the purposes of understanding think of your soul group as your family, friends and those people who are special in your life - just like here on earth but in the higher dimensions.

Think of a target with the bullseye, the inner circle and outer circle. Now imagine that the bullseye is where you and all your nearest and dearest live, they are closest to your heart and affect your life on many levels so are considered your core soul group.

This group travels together and learns together almost as a collective consciousness. They experience many lives together, all playing different parts during the lifetimes of learning. For example, your brother may once have been your father or you his wife, your dearest friend may have been a sibling or parent once before, the soul group has to act out all scenario's possible if they are going to progress and understand everything that life can teach them. Remember that the soul does not recognise things that are painful or wrong, difficult situations or heartbreaking circumstances - it is all learning and there is no wrong, only experience as far as the intelligence of the human soul is concerned. In order for the soul to understand something it must have experienced it first hand, it cannot take a shortcut and learn from other soul groups, it must absorb the energy itself, process it, understand and then move on to the next scenario in their development.

There will be some members of our core soul group that live away from us whilst on earth. They have chosen or volunteered to diversify and bring other learning into the group aside from the main issues that need to be understood. You may recognise someone from your soul group when you meet them as a person that you feel instantly comfortable with, you recognise them even though you have never met in your physical lives before. There seems to be a bond, sometimes very deep, that draws you to one another.
This connection does not mean that you should be together, does not mean that life would be easier if you were or that you are meant for each other. The contrary many be true however, that you are on very different paths and in fact you would not find happiness together as there would be a conflict of interests between the mind of the person and the intention of the soul.

You're probably asking "how do I know when I meet someone if they're the person I should love and spend my life with?" Easy - time. Spending long enough with someone, doing different activities, living together will show you if there is a conflict of interests, if you are compatible, if your aims and dreams are the same. These days couples get together too quickly for their relationship to develop naturally, before long a baby comes along and changes the dynamics of their pairing and lives are changed through commitment or absence.

Let's move to the inner of the target. This layer of soul group members will usually comprise of friends and colleagues and extended family. People who you are connected to but whose lives do not directly influence your own. These will present with situations, good and bad, that you may be able to influence because your soul has gone through that process already and you are bringing them along with you and encouraging them to keep up with the core group. If just one member of a soul group fails to grow and develop along with the others, the whole group will be held back and the situations experienced will have to be relived. This inner group are also our support network and allow us to observe experiences to deepen our understanding of them.

The outer ring of the target belongs more to the peripheral people in our lives. We may seldom have contact with these persons, but they are there and sometimes touch our lives. Occasionally you will meet someone from any of the circles of your soul group, something about them will stir you and there is always an emotional element to the recognition of them. Trust your instincts, asks the question of yourself and see what answer comes to you - the right answer is always the first.

Guides, Guardians and Angels do not belong in our soul group. They are teachers and when they reach an appropriate level of development they are able to split and work independently whilst still under supervision of the hierarchy that exists in the higher plains.  We are forever connected to our soul group but then we are all connected to each other too.

Look at your family and friends again and see if you know them more than you think you do. What do you imagine they have worn in a past life? what activity do you see them doing in another life? who do you see them with? Above all offer tolerance and love because you are all in this together and what you send out you in turn receive. If you want love you must create love first for yourself and then you will attract love to you.

working with spirit

Something that really bugs me is the way ghosts and spirit are portrayed in the media. They are shown to be sensational, a source of entertainment and even something to be hounded and hunted.
This is a very sad state of affairs in my opinion for obvious reasons. The ghost or spirit is a person.
Would you expect to see a living person treated in the same way for the purpose of entertainment?
A ghost is different from a spirit, that is true. A ghost is the spirit of a person that has become stuck in the ether of the earth. They are unable to move on to their spiritual home because of their mental state, their emotions, their attachment to a place or person or perhaps because of a very quick death that has left them confused. I have met ghosts who have died unexpectedly and are shocked to find themselves unable to relate to the physical world as they once did. With such isolation enforced upon them they then become frantic in many cases and their mental state worsens. The key to working with them and understanding them is simply to treat them as you would a living person, they are no different and deserve compassion and respect.
There is nothing to fear from spirit or ghosts, they usually only want help. Some might resist though and that's when you need a medium to intervene, someone who can communicate and "hear" the voice of the spirit.
I don't believe that a spirit or ghost should be accepted as living with you in a home either. They belong in their own dimension and should not be lingering here with us, it does them no good and delays their progress and that of their soul group.
I hear of many people who seem to accept that they have a ghost living with them, that they talk to them, are comfortable with them around. I say that if a spirit is hanging around you, watching you dress, at intimate times, giving you their thoughts uninvited, getting into bed with you - you have a major problem.
In the same way that we should respect spirit they should in turn respect us. They must not pry, spy or influence us in any way and if they are doing so it is unhealthy and wont be a spirit who has passed over to the higher realms of life but an earthbound soul who is living through you, experiencing things through your body and emotions as it feeds from your emotional energy. This situation can also lead to negative overshadowing where the spirit can become anchored in the aura (to the mental and emotional bodies of you) and influences your choices, tastes, behaviour, humour and actions. (There is a form of overshadowing that is allowed by the medium and the energy bodies are shared with spirit but this is done properly, with guidelines in place and chaperons to facilitate a safe demonstration). This is not a healthy relationship as it would not be in a normal human interaction. Would you have a stranger living in your home and telling you what to do, what to feel, how to act? I doubt it.
Always apply logic and normal thinking to a spiritual situation, keep your reasoning simple, question everything and use your gut instinct to be successful at reading situations, spirit and living people and you won't go far wrong.

Being a medium

It's a funny thing being a medium. Once your mind has been opened to new possibilities you can't go back. Suddenly you think on multi levels of existence and using the brain for simple day to day functions seems like such a waste of intelligence. You consider how your actions will affect not just those that you share your physical life with but those spirit and light beings that also give you input and guidance.
As a medium you are working as part of a team, no-one does anything alone, here or there, all success is achieved as a soul group and any misfortune is also felt by all that are connected together.
The medium doesn't get much peace and quiet either. You might sit down with a nice cup of coffee and a biscuit or for a little sneaky doze during the day but spirit will have other ideas for your time whilst your thoughts are receptive to them. Before you know it your little daydream has turned into a full blown conversation with a spirit relative of your friend who wants them not to worry about something or other or to get the car tyres checked or remember someone's birthday! The medium is nothing if not a messaging service.
Even when a medium is switched off and going about their own business spirit will find a way of being noticed. You can be on a train, enjoying the countryside whizz by and a spirit might sit next to you and want you to pass on a message to the woman in the seat three down from yours or you might see an accident victim waiting by the roadside whilst you're driving, trying to get picked up and taken home. It never ends you see, they are everywhere. It's all well and good communing with your spirit guides and helpers who you have learned to recognise and know have your best interests at heart but it's a different matter dealing with strangers.
The same rules apply to stranger danger in spirit as they do here. Just because someone has left their physical body doesn't mean they suddenly turn into a nice and trustworthy person, you still have to check them out and  use your psychic protection, they retain their personality always and their anger and negative emotions until they cross over properly.
The biggest hazard relating to mediumship and particularly rescue work is contamination and I hark back to some of my earlier posts about cleansing the energy system and its importance. Without cleansing we become bogged down with problems that aren't our own and without the cord cutting exercise we can even manifest in our lives the problems of others and of those that we help. Remember to disconnect your energy from others, stay as a singular clean being and at least you will know that if any problems do come along they are yours. Check out the cord cutting exercise on here and the energy cleansing visualisation.

Angels

I know angels have been done to death with books, films, true stories, cards etc., there couldn't be more about them on the planet but there are still those people who don't believe in their power.
I think the term "angel" can put the sceptic off even giving them thinking time. They think that we're all nuts and talking about angels and their role in our lives just about puts the tin lid on the subject and their opinion of our sanity.
I do believe in angels - there I said it out loud.
I don't believe in them because I read about them or watched a film with them in. Nor do I believe in them because there are pretty pictures of them everywhere you look or because they're in the bible and I might go to hell if I deny their existence. My belief is much simpler. I have seen them. Yes, with my own eyes, sober, in daylight, lots of times and no - I'm not nuts. Nor do I have a brain or optical condition which predisposes me to see feathers or lights or hallucinate or daydream or any other excuse you could chuck at me.
As with any spiritual experience like seeing a ghost or connecting with a spirit person, there is an emotional element to the contact. That's always the key for me you see, the emotional sensation that is so powerful and comes out of nowhere before I see the spirit/ghost or angel. For me it is a measure of how well I am working if I can receive an emotion from the visitor. I'm not an emotional person in nature so to suddenly feel like crying, or be incredibly happy or feel immense love (that can't be replicated by any other stimulus) does not happen from moment to moment, it only happens when I work with spirit, guides and of course, angels.
For you to connect to your angels all you have to do is ask them to come around you and to help you with your life. They can't help you, no guiding spirit can, without your permission and request that they do so.
So give them some work to do so that they're not sitting around on a cloud twiddling their thumbs! Bring them into your life, ask them for the things you need to make your life bearable and happier but remember that angels of the divine light will not make you rich, make you sexier, give you a more interesting personality and so on, they are there to nurture your soul and have your highest interests at heart, not the shallow physical ones we attach so much importance to.
There is nothing to fear from your angel, unless you are afraid of love that is.
One more thing to mention is that the way they work might not be the way you expect but results will manifest and in the end your life can only be enriched by their presence in it.

philosophy - sex

When we think of love, we think of sex, it is only natural. Sex is a part of human nature and life and should not be frowned upon or regarded as dirty when a couple love one another. It is only when people are promiscuous that this energy of degradation happens but the thoughts can be transferred, through the ether as thought forms, to those in loving relationships.
Sex without love is a barrier to your development.
Sex with love is an open door to your soul.
In achieving oneness with your partner you are blending your energies and sharing your chakras in a way that can only otherwise be achieved in the spirit world and the higher realms of existence.
You share everything that you are and all that you have ever been at this time. That is why there must be love, mutual love, to enable the power to flow two ways and not just one way that would lead to control.
Control of one partner being dominant and ruling the other in a damaging way. True love does not judge, control, manipulate, demonstrate greed or fear. True love offers freedom and security to think and behave as your natural self.
channelled by Avril Green

philosophy

Philosophy is a very important part of mediumship. When a service is taken or a group is receiving readings from a medium not all the members of that group may receive a message and this is where philosophy comes in. There are some in the spiritualist movement who think that philosophy is a waste of time but my opinion is that it stimulates the mind, thoughts then tumble into one another and into our imagination or our troubles can lead our thinking to new places and fresh inspiration.
If a group member does not receive a message, then the philosophy of the evening might be all that they take away. Higher evolved spirit usually teach us philosophy and higher thinking. Some mediums find it boring but I say how can it be so? We are receiving secrets of the universe, advice to live by and it is delivered with love and healing energy. It is usually channelled by the medium and is often an indicator as to how developed they are or how evolved their spirit team is. Remember like attracts like so a medium's philosophy can be a measure of them. Here is a little philosophy for your day.

Change is the will of the non-believer. He always wants what isn't there, the next big thing to feed his ego. His place in the world must be fought for when there is no war to fight.
Peace and acceptance bring all that is needed to your door. You will never be without your needs, if peace and love are carried in the heart as trophies. The flame of peace, strives beyond all that mankind can throw at it.
channelled by Avril Green 2011

Just a little snippet for you to ponder on today. I think I will incorporate more philosophy on the blog so watch this space for enlightenment and truths.

transfiguration

Another form of mediumship is called transfiguration.
The medium does not need to be in a trance state for this to happen and can be fully conscious and even unaware of the spirit working with them.
Transfiguration is when the visiting spirit overlays their image on top of the medium's features. This can be visible to an observer with the psychic eye only or also to the physical eye if the energy build up is strong enough.
No special lighting is needed to observe this phenomenon and it can seem to happen randomly. For example, I remember during several readings with clients that they noticed the face of their loved one projected over mine. My features would disappear to their eyes and be replaced by that of a familiar deceased relative or friend. It is a natural process when working with spirit as the medium is working closely with them anyway and requires little energy from the medium compared to trance manifestations.
Just a small amount of the medium's energy will be needed and if the medium creates external energy for the spirit team to use, then that reserve can be used for the projection. By that I mean that the medium will create a ball of energy and donate it for the use of spirit during the reading. This technique avoids the medium's energy being exhausted whilst working with spirit, which is easily done and in turn burns out the nervous system of the medium. It is better for the medium to use energy that is separate from themselves, it causes less harm and can be added to depending on how fast it is depleted and what the intended use is.
During the event of transfiguration the spirit will move into the medium's body but not in the same aggressive way that is required for full or partial trance. They then manipulate the etheric body of the medium to form a mask of their own face using light and colour to effect their features.
The image is usually clear and unmistakable. For those people struggling to believe that their loved ones are in spirit it provides strong evidence for them. Transfiguration can be filmed and photographed too.
Mediums who see spirit regularly see the projection of spirit people, ghosts are a projection too, but transfiguration provides good evidence for someone who is without the gift of seeing energy and spirit.
For the medium inside the transfiguration there are strange sensations that occur. I will notice firstly the increase in my heart rate and a drop in temperature. I will feel the spirit slide in to my body, their energy may feel heavier than my own or lighter, it may tingle as it blends with my energy and body or it may feel hot or cold. There may be pain or itching, a feeling of threads across my face which is the ectoplasm in its finest form and my eyes can become very dry, sting and hard to keep open.
The next stage may be a scratchy throat and the vocal chords need clearing (like a frog in the throat) but it is the spirit's energy adjusting to yours. Then I will feel a stretching sensation in my face, it feels as though it is being pulled in different directions, gently and slowly. My lips may swollen and feel oddly proportioned and I feel the energy moving across my face but also beneath the skin as the image is being formed.
Transfiguration can be a subtle demonstration or a very vivid one, it depends on the circumstances and the energy available, also the willingness of the medium to allow it to happen as it does feel very odd and doesn't suit everybody. It is something that should only be attempted by experienced mediums who are aware of psychic protection and of how to recover from trance as the spirit is sharing the aura of the medium, the energy of the physical body and the mind of the medium. It would be wrong to assume that this practise is safe because it is not trance, the reverse is true, it is a milder, gentler form of trance and physical mediumship and all the usual precautions should be put in place. Of course one thing to mention is that there is no point in trying transfiguration unless you have someone with you to observe the phenomenon and as with any trance work a trusted companion is required to spot problems and take care of the medium as they recover.
Transfiguration is not something that all mediums are cut out for as a deep trust of your guides and helpers is needed and that developes over time working with them. Not all mediums have the right frequency of energy to achieve results and some disagree with the need for it. Mediums still have opinions and they set boundaries and rules for working with their own spirit team and some mediums will simply not agree to work in such a way.
Transfiguration is an interesting and rare visual evidence and one that needs encouragement by mediums willing to experiment in this area to further our knowledge of it.

in response to a question - how do you know if you are working with positive spirit?

Working with spirit is complicated and nothing is as it seems, certainly not simple and it's easy to get yourself into a bad or unhealthy situation where you are living more in your head than in the physical world and in order for you to function properly there must be balance of the two sides of your life.
One of the problems with setting out to contact the spirit world is that you have no control over who comes to check you out.
Imagine this - you set up your market stall in a public place, you can't then police who comes to view what you have for sale, anyone can come and look and poke about in your goods. Working with spirit is no different, if you call they will come, but who comes and who you work with are two very different energies and one you must learn to recognise if you are to stay safe. There are simple measures you can take but the more you progress and learn the more likely you are to encounter more difficult lessons that you may feel have put you at risk or you will in fact be contaminated with negative energy. It happens to all mediums and healers, they have to cleanse regularly and rid themselves of what does not belong to them, but it is still possible to hang on to energy that you have not learnt about yet without conscious knowledge of it - when the issue is dealt with or understood the energy will leave of its own accord. Only through experience can you learn and some of that experience may be frightening so a strong mental ability is needed before any spirit work begins. There must be no fear, worry or negative intention to begin with only love, a questioning attitude and respect.
Here are some tips that you can use to check out the spirit that comes to you or is around you so that you can commune safely.
When you aware of a spirit (you may sense, see or hear them) ask them who they are. You should receive an answer, not necessarily a name, but an answer that you can understand.
Always ask them if they are of the divine light and wait for their response. Here you have to know that shadow spirit can lie. It is within them to deceive you so you have to ask again and use the law of three to get the truth - ask three times and it is universal law that they must show you or tell you where they come from, divine light or shadow.
A quick way to see the truth of a spirit or energy is to ask it to show you its real or true self. (You can use this technique with living people too, no need to ask out loud, just wait for them to show you their true colours).
The answer is whatever comes to you first, ignore your own mind that interferes and asks questions, use your instinct.
A divine light spirit or being that comes to you will happily show you its true self without hesitation whereas a shadow being will try to trick you and show you what you want to see rather than the truth.
You must remember that your mind will interfere with this process and can even generate a spirit in your aura that is not real. If you will to have it enough you will create it yourself, so you must be sensible, accept what comes and what does not, do not push for information or phenomena and be balanced in your life. Do not work with alcohol, even smoking weakens the aura and leaves it tatty and weak so that foreign energy is able to breach it more easily.
Another form of protection is to raise your vibration and this is done by living cleanly, but also thinking higher thoughts of love and acceptance, none of negativity. In order to attract a high evolved being with knowledge to you you have to match its vibration with your own thoughts - not easy but possible to maintain.
The other way you could test your spirit visitors is with the cleansing exercise here on the blog, using white, green, gold and pink light. A shadow being will run a mile from these energies.
A final thing to note is that if you feel you are in good contact with your guide or spirit friend then bear the following in mind; the advice they give you should be loving and good advice, easy to carry out and logical. If it is none of these things and causes you harm and upset then it is not from the right place and you should simply tell the spirit to go away. Again you may have to repeat this three times but you also must mean what you say. Some people live lonely lives and welcome any attention whether negative or positive but with your sanity at stake it's important to be safe when communing in the ether.
Treat spirit that come to you sensibly and check them out before you allow them close to you. Take control of the communion and only go as far as you are happy to. Always begin your connections with a prayer of protection and state your intent so that there is no confusion about what you want to do and achieve.

in response to a question - ectoplasm

Ectoplasm, what is it? Ectoplasm is understood to be the life force of the medium, it has properties that enable it to be become a physical matter by manipulation conducted by the spirit team. I don't believe it is fully understood yet how this is achieved but there is plenty of evidence and living witnesses of the phenomenon.
Ectoplasm when manipulated into physical form becomes similar in structure to that of melted cheese, although it feels cool to touch and can feel slightly sticky. It can feel like the rougher grip part of a household rubber glove. It is pale in appearance and has a creamy tone to it, I have also seen it when luminous, a soft green tinged glow is within it and around it.
It will emanate from an orifice of the medium, who is usually in deep trance when this occurs because the experiment is delicate and the medium's body needs to be in a state of complete relaxation. I believe that the ectoplasm will be made up of matter and cells from the medium's body that the spirit team add energy to in order to give it form. It is extruded from the medium by the spirit team and moulded into a form, rather like a puppet that the spirits can then use to communicate or manipulate. A spirit will also don the ectoplasm like a cloak or mask as it will then lie in the contours of the framework they are providing and give the observer a face, hand, pair of hands, upper body formation or whole manifestation. The ectoplasm may also act as a screen for an image to be projected upon. I think of this as a screen that spirit can project their thoughts on to or their science allows them to print on to it like we would print a photograph.
The victorian era is when experiements with ectoplasm seemed to be at their highest but there are still physical circles that sit today for further understanding of this phenomena. Conditions need to be right and the circle is not always successful in their attempts at producing ectoplasm. There have also been many accusations of fraud regarding the production of ectoplasm in the past which has caused doubt over its existence but there are many genuine photographs on the net as well as in private collections that show its structure. Sometimes it is quite thick and has weight to it and at others is almost weblike and light as silk. Its use is simply as a means of creating physical objects and body parts that can be touched and held by the sitters, powerful evidence if you are present. It may also be used to manufacture a voicebox outside of the medium that spirit will then speak directly from. More tantalising evidence if you recognise a relative's voice.
There are dangers for the medium associated with producing ectoplasm and so the spirit world has been developing new techniques over time to make the creation of materialisation safer.
A spirit can materialise without the use of ectoplasm but it takes a great deal of energy to form a physical body and can't be sustained over a long period, whereas ectoplasmic materialisation can go on for a couple of hours if the medium is in good health.
Ectoplasm is a difficult material to believe in if you haven't experienced it for yourself. It seems too crazy, too convenient to explain the pictures of mediums sitting trance-like covered in a cheese cloth material, but it does exist and is real.