Yes, those on the other side have feelings too! I’ve been finding this more commonplace these days, and wanted to post a blog about it. It’s very easy to place expectations on those sentimental things you would like to hear from your loved one when they come through at a gallery.  However, what they may want to tell you may be entirely different from what you are looking to hear.

If you and a loved one had misunderstandings in life, sometimes that miscommunication may continue as they come through from the other side. I want to first talk about how much energy it takes for someone to communicate to me from the other side. The communication may look simple, but it’s very difficult to hold the connection if all three people (meaning the medium, the spirit and the person being read) are not energetically open.

When someone comes through from the other side, it’s usually because they have something they need to tell you. Our needs here on the physical plane are secondary. What I mean is that just because we are grieving or “want” to hear from someone, doesn’t mean they will automatically come through so that we will feel better. There is a higher purpose underlying the connection, and it is usually for the purpose of their spiritual evolution on the other side, or to help those here with major life situations that may be going on. The purpose of communication is not to make us feel a certain way. It is to help us evolve on earth with what we came here to do, and also to bring the spirit peace.

If the person being read has very specific expectations of what they want to hear, the experience can be very draining on me and on the spirit. At times, this makes the connection come to an absolute standstill. The spirit is usually trying to bring something to the attention of the person being read, and sometimes it’s not something that they understand or want to talk about. At this point, the spirit is trying so hard to communicate the message effectively to me, and in turn I am trying so hard to gain the understanding of the person being read, that the battery becomes surged and goes dead very quickly. The spirit may get so frustrated that they just stand there and stop talking. Sometimes I can feel their emotional frustration, because the person is not getting what they are trying to say.

An example comes to mind from a conversation I had with a friend of mine a few months ago. He lost his son a few years back at 19, and is lucky to have many vivid dreams about him in which they have conversations about the other side. The visitations are so real, that he is able to remember the conversations in sequence and relay them to me. I had many connections with his son prior to this. During one dream, he asked his son what his thoughts were about me and mediums in general. He chuckled and said something to the effect of “dad, they don’t even get a tenth of what we are trying to tell them! There is so much information coming through at once that it’s really hard to keep the connection going!”

I couldn’t believe that a spirit was chuckling about this! It was so cool to have someone on the other side comment about their experience with mediums. They really try hard to get our attention! This is why during a gallery you must keep your energy in “receiving” mode, just as you are when you are going to see a movie. You sit back and take it all in. You don’t sit there and have expectations about how the plot should go and how it should end. Nor do you try to control the movie. The movie is already made and you just have to sit back and watch. I know that sounds absurd, but it’s the same way with galleries. All you have to do is sit back and receive what they want you to know. It’s ok if you don’t understand it right away. It may take days or weeks to put the information together. But expectations will only hurt you and take away the amazing experience that can happen when everyone is open. The communication then becomes easier for the spirit and for me, and then we could keep the connection going for so much longer. It benefits everyone.

Think about your computer when it has many applications going and it is overloaded with desktop icons, and loads of unnecessary temporary files. It slows the computer down right? What happens when you delete all the unnecessary files, and make more space on your hard drive to handle the powerful applications? Your computer performs a lot easier! Same goes for me. I only have so much energy I can use, and if those in the physical world are draining me during a reading, I don’t have much left and can’t keep the connection to spirit. The drain almost always comes from the living person due to an emotional need to hear a specific message.

Just remember that this is a very special experience. Let it happen for you, and realize that it is a miracle!

Good Evening,

I just received an e-mail testimonial from the guest I wrote about in my blog post below about events happening while a gallery is taking place, only to be validated later. Of course I don’t remember all the details, so it really helped that Pat sent me her version of what transpired after the session. I wanted to share this with all of you so that you could see that even if you don’t understand information while you are having the session, wonderful validations could happen somtimes many months later. In my opinion, these moments make the experience all the more magical!

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Marisa,

Someone asked at one of your galleries if you ever give information that is actually happening as you speak. I’d like to share this story with you.

At the end of my very first visit to you, you said there was a dog in my life and the dog’s name was Lexi. I said I did not know of any dog named Lexi. You then said the dog’s name was Lexi or Alexis and I continued to have no idea of any dog by that name. The closest thing I could relate this to was that my veterinarian drove a Lexus. You said this is a dog and insisted the that I write the dog’s name down because this dog would have a special meaning to me. That was the last thing you said to me before I left that morning.

Naturally since this was my first visit with you, I was overwhelmed with the details and accuracy of events you described to me that morning. It was also at a time when I had suffered a devastating loss, so needless to say when I left you I needed some alone time to process and consider everything you had told me. When I walked to my car, I had a voice mail from my friend, Kate, but decided to call her a little later. When I pulled in my driveway Kate was calling again, and when I went in the house she had left a message on my answering machine. After I was home about an hour I returned Kate’s call. Here is what followed.

Kate was very excited when I returned her call. Her family dog had been lost a few months prior and she had posted a very generous reward in the newspaper. Someone had seen the story and reward and called her telling her that they a beautiful dog like the one she had lost but they had to find a good home for her because they were relocating. Kate already had two dogs but she told me her and her husband went to see the dog that morning, and they brought her home and she was just beautiful. Then she told me her name was Lexi, and I would just love her and did I have a crate she could borrow. My heart stopped for a second as I repeated “Lexi?”. She could hear the surprise in my voice and she said, “well her real name on her papers is Alexis, but they call her Lexi”. Lexi turned out to be an amazing dog and I spend all my time with her now when I visit Kate.

About 11 months later I was sitting with Kate at her house in front of the fire on a snowy night. Kate on one leather couch, me on the other with Lexi lying beside me with her head on my lap as I held her head, rubbing her neck as she rested. Then out of nowhere, Kate looked over and said to me, “There is something I need to tell you because I watch you with Lexi and I know you love her so much and she loves you. The morning we went to get Lexi we were not bringing her home for us, we already had two dogs, and we went to get her for you. We knew that a dog would be the one thing that might help you get through the difficult time you were going through, but when I got her home I just fell so in love with her and could not part with her “.

So Marisa, while you were telling me about a dog named Lexi that morning, Kate was about 45 miles away on her way to pick up a dog named Lexi with every intention of bringing her home to me. While I would have loved to have Lexi, and while this may or may not have worked out as was meant to be, Lexi is a very real and very special part of my life, and I am so grateful for all the love she shares with me. Lexi has a wonderful life with a wonderful family, and all the love she could possible want, and she is a true angel that continues to touch my life in a very special way.

Thank you Marisa, for bringing your special gift to so many of us.

Always,
Pat

Hello Again,

Wow, I’m double dipping today. Hopefully, this will make up for all this time that I didn’t write. Either too much or not enough right?

As most of you know (or may not know), the difference between mediums and psychics are vast. Performing readings at group events can be physically draining at times. A medium not only receives messages but must also be a translator for the messages coming through. The ability to interpret the language correctly becomes very instrumental in attempting to relay the message to the living person.

Last Friday, we had a gallery at The Crowne Plaza Monroe, near East Brunswick NJ. It was a rainy night and everyone was suffering from a case of the ‘blahs” and just being in slow motion. I could see it was going to be slow night for mental clarity among us since the energy was like quicksand. I always tell my audience that it is just as important to be open and receptive as it is for me to be. Providing messages to anyone also requires clear, sharp thinking both on my part and the part of the person receiving the message.

This is where validations come in. Sometimes, newcomers get nervous when the spotlight is on them and have what I call “psychic amnesia”. They become like a deer in the headlights when I finally do come to them with a message. They may forget their own name, their loved ones names who have passed. This may be due to nervousness, or just plain overwhelm from the experience. Problem is without validations from the sitter, it is tough to see if the information is really for them. This is why I always tell people to write down the information whether or not it makes sense to them.

With this work, unfortunately for me, most of the validations come after I do the readings and go home. Once the sitter leaves the gallery, and is in a calm state, a lot of the details of the session start to make sense. In addition, once they present the information to their families, they have get more information validated. A session is like a puzzle piece that must be put together by various family members and friends.

When I was explaining how the group session worked on Friday, I saw a nice young couple in front of me who asked about language barriers in sessions. I asked the girl how they had heard about me, and she said she reads the blog! So, Julia, this blog goes out to you!

I really didn’t think that a lot of people were reading these posts, but Julie was enjoying them quite a bit. THANK YOU JULIA for inspiring me to blog more!

Julie was actually the first person I came to at the gallery. Some names made sense and we were off to a good start, but then the connection got muddled and other people’s relatives started to jump in. I was bummed at the end of the gallery because I really wanted Julie to leave with a connection, because I felt strongly that someone was there for her.

Well it turns out someone was, and it happened to be her grandfather, but she didn’t realize it until she left. She was nice enough to send me an awesome e-mail about her experience telling about what she figured out afterwards.

She allowed me to post it here for all of you! So here it is…and if you have a story, send it in!

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Hi Marisa,

Just wanted to say thanks for a wonderful session today at Crowne Plaza Monroe. I’m the girl who asked you about the language barrier when connecting with the spirits. Don’t know if you remember, but at one point you said something about the name George…and cheerleading…and a scrapbook..to two ladies sitting close to the door, but those things didn’t make too much sense to them. While on the way home, I realized that my grandfather who had passed was named George. My little sister was in the cheerleading team, and she had just showed me in fact two days ago a scrapbook that she made about a month ago on a trip to Europe. How odd is that!

I’m not sure if it is a coincidence that I can relate to all three things since one of the two ladies did mention she was thinking of redoing her wedding album. But I wish I had realized my connection during the session and raised my hand! In the beginning of the session you had us think of the people whom we hope to connect to, and my grandfather was the first person I thought about. So maybe he was there after all, had I known that!!! I hope he will be able to show me some signs or signal to let me know he was there (if he was).

My friend (the only guy there haha) is still thinking hard about the person you mentioned who was shot during some underground business type incident, hopefully he will be able to come up with something.

Although I didn\’t get a reading tonight, it was really amazing to see how spirits from the other side are able to communicate to us. I’ve always been very interested in the spiritual world myself and do hope someday i will be able to do what you do and help others. I’m glad most people at the event did get some closure or questions answered. It was truely an unforgettable experience and please don’t ever stop doing what you do. I look foward to seeing you again in the future and hopefully next time some of \”my people\” will be able to connect with you!

Regards,
Julia

Hello Again,

Please accept my utmost apologies for not writing in quite a while. It’s been very busy around here, and travel has had me on the road a lot. But no excuses! I have a lot to say these days, which I think you will find interesting. If you haven’t already, please read my May Inspirational Message below about all the changes going on with jobs.

So back to my topic at hand: I’ve been noticing some strange patterns happening at group galleries and private sessions lately. Those on the other side are mentioning events that are going on somewhere else WHILE THE SESSION IS TAKING PLACE! Of course the person being read cannot validate these details because they have no idea that they are going on, so luckily I’ve had some people come back and tell me what transpired after they left the session.

This is why I have people take detailed notes of everything I say. If the person being read only writes down what makes sense while the session is happening, then they are missing out on all the other information that could be validated by family members once they leave. These, to me, are the real AH HA moments!

The one story that blew me away came from a woman who has come to see me five times, and each time I had a hard time reading her. When I refer to people ‘blocking’ their energy, I would say she wins hands down! I remember scheduling a session with a woman over the phone to come and see me in person. I liked her energy and was looking forward to seeing her. Even though she said she has seen me before, I didn’t recall the name. When she came to the door, I knew I recognized her face but couldn’t place it. As she sat down, she said she had to tell me something amazing that happened to her after the last reading. Then she reminded me that I had a very difficult time with her each time I read her because of her energy being blocked. She told me at one point, I got so frustrated I had to leave the room! We had a good laugh about it, and I couldn’t believe after all this that she kept coming back.

Now to the good stuff. She told me that while I was reading her last time, I mentioned a dog named Lexi or Alexis. So, after the reading, the person went home and saw that there were several messages from her friend on her phone. She didn’t feel like talking to anyone, so she ignored the calls. Finally, the calls got so persistent that she called her friend back. Her friend told her she was trying to get in touch with her all day to let her know that she just got a NEW DOG! The name was Alexis on paper but Lexi for short. This all happened WHILE THE PERSON WAS GETTING THE READING!

But wait, it gets better! About a year later, the woman was at her friend’s house with the dog and her friend said she had a confession to make. She told her that Bernstein the dog was supposed to be a GIFT FOR THE WOMAN who got the reading, but when she picked it up she got so attached to it that she kept it!

The woman was actually connecting to her husband who passed. He was mentioning this dog while the gallery was going on to let her know she would be getting a dog, but her friend got it instead!

In another instance, I was doing a private gallery at a home in NJ. When I arrived, the host told me that several people were not able to make it. During the session I mentioned a Ronnie* (name changed), and the host said that that was her next door neighbor that was supposed to be there, but was unable to come last minute. Since there was someone there for her, I had to give the host messages to give her even though the woman was not there.

The spirit was the woman’s grandmother and she told us to tell her not to to let Ronnie’s husband measure the front door, because the measurements would be wrong and when the new door came it would not fit. I asked the host if Ronnie* and her husband were doing renovations. She said yes that they were remodeling their kitchen, but knew nothing about a new front door. The grandmother also mentioned collector sea shell soaps, and again the host didn’t know what this meant.

The next day I received a phone call from the host telling me that she went over Ronnie’s house, and that WHILE THE MESSAGES WERE BEING GIVEN ABOUT HER, her FRONT DOOR WAS BEING MEASURED AT THAT EXACT TIME. There were several people at her house doing this, including her husband. At that point in time, she didn’t know what the seashell soaps were. Then suddenly she remembered that she had a box of her grandmother’s seashell soaps, and in honor of her she was redoing her bathroom with matching seashell wallpaper!

Moral of the story is: don’t get frustrated if you don’t understand the messages right away!

PS Sometimes I even get frustrated if I can’t validate details! Keep telling me your stories, it keeps me inspired to do the work!

Best,

Marisa

Hello Again,

I have just uploaded my March Inspirational Message in the post below. I hope all of you will get a chance to squeeze in some YOU time this week. The energy is like a speedway these days, and it just doesn’t seem like there are enough hours in the day to get everything done! Don’t fret though, things will slow down soon.

I wanted to write a post about reading relatives of people who are from other countries. Most of these messages are from people who never spoke English, so I find the information fascinating. While I think it is just as miraculous to receive messages of any kind at all, I am used to getting messages from people with American names that I understand.

Last night, I had a private gallery and there was a woman present with relatives from Japan. She told me later that she felt there was no way that she even expected that her relatives would come through. She was just there to observe and take it all in.

To her surprise, she was the first one to receive a reading, and it was from her grandfather who spoke Japanese. Since a lot of communication is through images and symbols, the interpretation bypasses language barriers. However, at times I do receive words and thought fragments.

Since I have been giving messages for quite a while, not a lot shocks me. However, when I receive messages from those in foreign lands, I am speechless, because I know absolutely nothing about the language or culture. Reading people who are from other countries are like a breath of fresh air to me, because I learn so much about their culture from the experience.

Soon after her messages started, I started to receive names that I couldn’t pronounce. At first I received syllables as sounds that I couldn’t make out. She validated that some of the names of her immediate family members had those sounds attached to them. However, what came next floored me! I received her brother’s complete Japanese name.

Of course, I thought that what I was getting was off and second guessed myself. I said the name to her, and she was shocked. She told me that was her brother’s name who is living. Apparently, her brother was not doing too well, and the grandfather needed to come through with a message for him. In the interest of privacy, I can’t tell you the exact name that came through, but I could tell you that it was not even close to any American sound or name.

The woman was so excited that she received a message from her ancestors, and never thought that communication on this level was possible!

This just goes to show that love never dies and there are no barriers on the other side. If someone needs to get a message to you, they will find a way! That reading was very inspirational to me, and I know it meant a lot to the woman receiving it. I was so happy for her!

I have had several other experiences with messages from Israel, Korea, Spain and Italy including others. The fact that this is possible truly amazes me!

I am so grateful to be able to give people these messages.

I’ll be writing more soon!

Marisa

Sorry it’s been so long since I wrote! Of course the current energy of mercury retrograde has me scattered. But this one hasn’t been so bad. I’m sitting here writing as we are having our first real major snow/ice storm of the season. I can’t believe it was 70 degrees last week here in Mt. Laurel NJ! Below this post you will find February’s Inspirational Message.

Since I last wrote, we have had several successful events and one fundraiser. At the end of January we had another gallery in Lawrenceville NJ to benefit the Slackwood Fire Company. As usual, the event sold out early, and we even ended up going a little over time. We raised money, and also delivered some healing messages.

We ended up having a special guest at the gallery, who took it upon himself to take up the microphone during the gallery and give a riveting testimonial! Before he received his reading, the messages were getting stuck, and a lot of messages weren’t getting validated. We were off to a very scattered, slow start.

Once I came to the man in the front row, the information started flowing and didn’t stop. Every detail followed his monotone response, “That is correct.” After a while, the audience found his demeanor endearing, and the phrase quite humorous. Detail after detail became validated in a row.

After his reading with his wife who passed, it seemed as if he wanted to speak, and then spoke into the mic with conviction. He told me how he was very skeptical before he had come to see me for the first time at the Trenton Thunder baseball stadium. As soon as he said his name was Ted, I realized who he was! He was the man who wrote the testimonial that is listed on the front page of my website!

I feel bad sometimes when I don’t initially recognize people. Since I do several events a month, and read many individual clients, I have a hard time remembering people I have only seen once. Plus I remember nothing of the readings. I seem to get amnesia after I do a gallery, because the thoughts aren’t coming from me. Once I shut down after a two hour event, I am so tired that I have to zone out and regroup.

However, we do have our Connection Beyond groupies who come to almost every event, so I do know exactly who they are. However, I don’t remember their messages from those who have passed. Since I have a very visual memory, if someone reminded me what gallery they were at and where they were sitting, I may remember their face. This is how I remembered Ted. He was in the priority section sitting right next to where I was standing.

That night, Ted spoke with enthusiasm about his first session with his late wife at Trenton Thunder and then with this message. He reiterated details that I said at the gallery a year ago that I couldn’t believe I said! I looked at him in amazement, and asked him if I really said all those things. He said with the same tone, “you certainly did.”! He mentioned that I kept saying 1-800-SHOELACE. He said that that was the name of his dog. His dog used to always untie his shoelaces! He also told the room that after the gallery that night, his shoelaces became untied themselves.

In addition, Ted told people how important it was to be open and receptive in the gallery. He was so insightful, and I think he saw how some people were getting stuck because they were blocking in one form or another.

He said it was just as important for the person being read to be open as much as it was for me. This is completely true. I can’t read people if their mind and heart aren’t open. Sometimes, people aren’t intentionally doing this, or it is their first time so they are nervous. In any case, Ted felt it was his mission to let people know how important it is for spirits on the other side to get their messages to us.

Sometimes I may be tough on people, especially if I feel they are not cooperating. The main reason I do this is because I WANT them to get the message they came to the gallery for. In addition, there are many other people there who would give anything for the chance to hear from someone. When the galleries get stuck, time is taken away from giving more messages. My body can only read for so long.

I have never seen a guest at a gallery stand up and give such a testimonial. It made me feel that I was making a difference and that someone who was so skeptical could have such a change of heart. Plus, his openness to even come to event in the first place showed his willingness to have an open mind. He left with great healing.

Right after he was read, a man and his wife got a reading. They were a few more men that were there than usual. I could tell that this man was new just by the way he was looking at me. When I first come to people, sometimes they get this “deer in the headlights” look. Eventually, they do calm down and ease into the experience. It can be very intense for the first time.

The man’s father ended up coming through. I don’t remember the specifics of the reading, but as I said above, I knew where he was sitting. During the reading, I kept hearing his father bugging me to tell him he knew about the watch — almost in a sarcastic way. Immediately the man’s wife gasped, and started to cry. He just looked at me in shock. I didn’t get it! I didn’t know how a watch could have that effect. There was a pause, and then the man pulled his father’s watch from out of his pocket! He said he put in it there, because he didn’t want to wear it. It had stopped (which his father also mentioned), but he also didn’t want me to see it. It was a powerful moment. He knew from such a simple message that his father was really there.

And of course I remember that message because I SAW the watch that night come out of his pocket! How can you forget that?

In addition to the many galleries, we had our Intuitive Development- Level One Workshop at Necessities Day Spa this weekend. A lot of my regular gallery attendees showed up, and it the group was ridden with people who had such awesome potential to develop their intuitive gifts. Some people were definitely not beginners

It was a great day for me to get out of my own head. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I booked the event on the one year anniversary of my biological mother’s passing. I find that if I create ways to serve in times where my head is thinking too much, it can be helpful to everyone. I was happy to be doing an all day class that day.

The workshop is slated to go for six hours, however, with people’s schedules, a four hour workshop seemed more doable. The event went by so fast, people couldn’t believe it! Plus we still didn’t get to all of our exercises. It was amazing how everyone bonded during the experience, and the people who were convinced that didn’t have any abilities during certain exercises actually were the ones that excelled!

I was so proud of everyone and I can’t wait to take the group to the next Level during our Level II workshop. Don’t worry all you newbies, another Level I will be coming soon. If you are interested in being informed of the class, please e-mail us at info@connectionbeyond.com Ok I think I wrote enough for today! If you attended the workshop, and would like to post your comments/experiences, please feel free!

Over the weekend, the Connection Beyond team took a trip to our nation’s capitol for our first private group gallery in the area. I wasn’t sure what to expect, since there is a different energy in every state. For instance, the energy of a group in Pennsylvania is usually a lot different from a group in New York.

I have to say I was quite surprised by how relaxing it was to do a home gallery in VA right outside of D.C. The setting was beautiful, and people were very open and receptive. The experience was a bit different from what I am used to in the tri-state area. We’re a little tough up here in the North! I think it also helped that most of the group was immediate family, because everyone was able to benefit from those who came through.

I was amazed by a lot of the messages. They weren’t the usual “relative who passed of an illness wanting to deal with some unfinished business regarding real estate, wills, etc.”. There seemed to be a lot of closure for some guests, as well as a past life revelation for a woman who had a very strong connection to religious figures back in the early 1900’s. It was an incredible experience for everyone involved, including me. I had never experienced messages of such magnitude.

The spiritual energy in the room was amazing. There was also a spirit of an older woman there who was a bit humorous. She kept looking at the stove saying, “I’ve never seen anything like this before in my life.” Stoves were very different when she was alive. I think she really wanted to try it out!

In addition to the gallery, we were able to do some sightseeing. Since I was already tuned in, I thought it would be a good idea to visit the Arlington National Cemetary to see what I picked up. I saw the site on T.V. so many times, but couldn’t believe how vast it was. They told us that there were over 300,000 military graves there. There were also a lot of tourists, but to my surprise everyone was very respectful and silent.

We immediately went to J.F.K’s gravesite. It was a powerful energy, and as I moved over in front of Jackie O’s gravesite, I felt a wave of extreme sadness come over me, and felt that if I stood there, tears would run down my face. It was overwhelming. The view overlooking the city, and the engraved speeches were beautiful. However, the powerful feeling was also haunting. It didn’t feel peaceful.

On our second stop, we took a tour of the Robert E. Lee/ Arlington House, which is also located on the cemetery grounds. According to the tour guide, both Robert and his wife were evicted due to the war and unpaid property taxes, and the house became military property. Because the Arlington House is now under restoration, there is no furniture at the site. There are only pictures in the rooms of what the furniture looked like. It is in storage right now and won’t be returning until 2010.

I must say that I expected to feel some sort of energy in the home considering how much happened there, but the energy was very stagnant. There wasn’t even any energetic impressions. It just felt like an old structure with no furniture. It was a very cold, neutral feeling. I suspect because the Lee’s had to move so quickly, they probably released their energetic attachment to the home when they moved on. After that, it went through several renovations and people residing there. I felt no spiritual energy there.

We then proceeded to The Tomb of The Unknown Soldiers. We watched the changing of the guard and school children donate a wreath. I had a sense that the spirits who are associated with the tombs are very honored to be part of ceremony. It was a much different feeling than the one I felt at the J.F.K. site.

On the same day, we visited the National Archives, which house the original Constitution, Declaration of Independence and Bill Of Rights. I couldn’t believe I was looking at the original documents. The parchment was wearing and much of the handwriting was fading, but the impact of being able to see the original written documents was intense.

I wasn’t really a fan of the huge crowds. It was hard to have the time to actually let the experience sink in, because so many people wanted to view them. The lines were long, and there were masses of people moving through the building.

In all, I had a wonderful experience in D.C. and can’t wait to go back!

Happy 2008! I’m sorry I haven’t written in a while, but this holiday season seemed to fly by. I hope all of you are having a wonderful start to the year. I’m sure that you are anxious to put new resolutions into play.

The start of any new year is usually very busy for those in the intuitive field. People want answers for the new year. I find that many people are confused about the difference between mediums, medical intuitives and psychics.

It is essential to understand that spiritual mediums, medical intuitives, intuitive channels and psychics are very different and offer different types of readings. Below are the differences. I took an excerpt from an article I wrote, and I will be adding this to the website as well, so that people can fully understand what type of session they need.

SPIRITUAL MEDIUMS

• Communicate messages from those on the other side to those that are living
• Cannot “call-up” one specific person or message
• Those on the other side may issue advice, warnings, or aid on certain matters
• The primary purpose is to act as a “messenger” between this world and the next
• Animals may also come through alongside those on the other side
• The purpose of having this type of session is for healing and peace.
• Sessions also help those on the other side take care of unfinished business so that they are able to cross over or move onto their next phase of spiritual development
• There are many mediums who possess clairvoyant ability, but their purpose is not to predict future events.

MEDICAL INTUITIVES

• A medical intuitive is NOT a doctor and cannot treat or diagnose a medical condition
• A medical intuitive’s primary purpose is to give insight into imbalances in the various fields on the body including the physical, mental, emotional, psychic and spiritual centers.
• People who have chronic issues and are unsure about the root cause may consult a medical intuitive
• Sometimes, people with chronic pain may have an unresolved trauma or emotion that has built up over the years.
• The medical intuitive usually has a network of professional referrals such as Integrative Medical Doctors, Holistic Professionals and Alternative Therapists who can be of aid to your healing process.
• A reputable medical intuitive should never make a decision about your medical care.

PSYCHICS (NOT THE TYPE OF WORK I DO)

• A psychic reading is usually given using a focal method of divination such as tarot cards, tea leaves, regular playing cards, pendulums, or angel cards. Some psychics go against the grain and may watch patterns of living animals to read people. I have seen Native American readers use doves and pot belly pigs to help with readings.
• A psychic will usually make future predictions for your life.
• Some psychics can also see into the past.
• Psychics may use various methods to access information such as clairvoyance (Clear seeing), clairaudience(clear hearing), clairsentience (a sense of “knowing”), empathic feelings (sensations in the body), psychometry (holding a signifcant object belonging to the person) or prophecy (seeing future events in dreams)
• On average, a person will go to a psychic who has questions such as ” Is there a new relationship in my future?”, “Where is my career headed?” or “Do you see a move for me?”
• The psychic reads you in the present moment.
• A psychic provides answers and makes predictions.

INTUITIVE CHANNEL AND/OR SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE (WHAT I DO)

• May be asked for guidance on the same areas of life such as health, relationships and career that a psychic may answer — however the method is very different.
• An intuitive channel will receive guidance from a spiritual source to provide insight into the various paths you can choose in any given situation
• There are no divination tools or cards used in this process.
• The guidance is not set in stone.
• It is up to you, the client, to make your own decisions.
• You are in charge of your future
• An intuitive channel will give you insight into where each path may lead, but the road taken is up to you
• Your free will decisions may alter your course
• Each path presents lessons. There is no “right” or “wrong” choice. Rather there are choices which present more difficult lessons.
• The purpose of an intuitive channel is to provide you with insight into which course is most aligned with your divine purpose, and which one may present obstacles or difficulties.
• This work does not provide answers or quick fix solutions, but rather presents the obstacle and provides insight into how you can work on the solution.
• You have to do the work to get results.
• For example, if you don’t make a decision to leave a destructive relationship and change your patterns of negative partners, how are you going to find your divine soulmate that is destined for you?

If you are looking for a psychic reading from a medium, or to connect to a loved one on the other side via a psychic reading, you may be in for some serious disappointment. People in this field usually specialize in certain intuitive abilities. Research the intuitive before making an appointment for their services. A referral is the best way to ensure that you are making a wise decision. Usually if someone you trust had a positive experience, odds are you will too. Unless, of course, you are consulting the wrong type of intuitive for your needs.

Too many people have the misconception that they can connect with their past loved ones “on-demand”. They may call a medium because they have a desperate need to connect with a loved one who recently passed. Please be aware that these demands may not suit you well. In order to make the experience pleasant for both you and the medium, it is best for you to be open minded and willing to receive a message from ANYONE who would like to come through.

It saddens me when people get angry that their uncle came through rather than their mother. Isn’t it a miracle that this communication exists?

Some people even deny that they know the person because they don’t want to talk to them!! This confuses mediums, because your interaction and cooperation is essential for a positive experience.

Hiring a medium is a very serious and healing experience. It is not meant to be “just for fun” or for entertainment at bachelorette parties. In addition, including people at private groups who just want to know when they are going to get married takes away from the people who really need the information. Be selective if you are having a group reading or inviting another person into your session.

I hope this clarification helps you to decide what type of reading you are looking for. If you do receive the name of a referral and they do not do the type of work you are looking for, they usually have other professional intuitives they recommend. Have a great 2008!

The holiday season is usually a busy one for me. I have a lot of public and private sessions and people are more emotional and anxious than usual (so are those on the other side!).

Most people don’t realize that a medium has to open up their energy field to be able to channel the messages that the spirit world wants to relay. While a medium is in this state, they are not only able to receive messages, but they are open to the energy that you (the client) is putting out at the time of the reading. Normally, people are able to protect themselves against people’s energies.

However, those of you who are more “empathic” may feel much more than you want to. You may go into work, and if there is tension between people, you may leave work angry. You may be on the phone with a friend with a lot of problems and you hang up feeling drained. In essence, you are feeling what the people around you are putting out.

If you are anxious, depressed, angry, nervous, or fearful during your session, you are going to be more difficult to read. Your emotion is felt by the medium, and it makes it harder for them to do the work they need to do to receive messages. The medium then has to do extra work to counteract the energy you are putting out before being able to get clear communication.

The same principle applies to people who refuse to open up to be read. Just as there are people who come in with too much, there are also people who “block” themselves from being read. When a client blocks me, I feel like I am up against a cement wall. This person may not be blocking intentionally, but may subconsciously be fearing what may come through. This also happens a lot with over-thinkers or analytical types. They want to observe the situation and analyze it, before deciding to participate.

Most people equate “blocking” with being a skeptic. Actually, this is not usually the case. Sometimes the client may want someone to come through so much that they block me from bringing them any other messages that they need to receive. They are intent on hearing from one person and one specific message, and they are closing themselves off to any other option.

Ironically, the skeptics usually get the best readings! Why? Because they have absolutely no expectations of the medium. They are usually there to support a friend, and don’t really believe in the process anyway, so their mind is completely free and clear of any expectations.

So you may be asking…”how do I stop blocking?” The best solution I have is to clear your mind of any expectations or fears, and sit back like you are in a movie theater and enjoy the experience. Whether or not you receive a message shouldn’t be as important as leaving with an experience that the other side has made a connection and that there is hope that we survive death.

You may think that because I’m a medium that I know for sure that there is an afterlife. I don’t think anyone knows that for sure. I was a skeptic myself for many years, and I needed more proof than most of my biggest skeptics! I just kept doing the work, and people kept coming back. After a few years, I had a larger client base than I ever imagined. I never expected to be doing this work.

I love my skeptics! I love when people question this work. I know I did for so long. My biggest fans are those who came in as non-believers. To see them open up to this and have hope makes me feel like it’s all worth it

Here’s another little secret: half of my staff used to be complete skeptics! Not only have they embraced this, but they have also activated their own intuitive abilities. I see their excitement to explore these new gifts like a child would explore their new world.

So, in closing — be open, be receptive, and be clear of any stress before you arrive. Trust that the universe will give you exactly what you need. If it’s not the right time for your loved one to come through, then they won’t. It’s not up to us. Divine timing is a beautiful thing

Best - Marisa