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    • The Séance: Safe or Sinister?

      by Barbara Parks

      (Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

      We've all heard the stories of séances gone wrong, whereby gateways to the spirit world are opened with terrifying results. Post-séance tag-alongs are supposedly widespread, attaching to the sitters and following them home. The subsequent manifestations range from the subtle to the extreme, depending on with whom you speak. Some report the triggering of relatively benign disturbances, whereas stories of full-blown demonic infestations also do the rounds. Most common are the reports where opportunistic ghosts see the séance as an ongoing invitation by those who have summoned them, and infiltrate their homes with a pervading sense of negativity.

      Accounts such as these are reasonably commonplace. Whether it be just or ill-deserved, most would agree that séances have had a pretty bad rap. On the other side of the spectrum, there are those who believe that séances can instigate meaningful interactions with the deceased, and often give rise to comfort, resolution, and healing. They reason that if a séance is conducted safely, it can be used as an effective mediumistic tool with minimal risk.

      So what are we to believe? Are séances a good thing or a bad thing? Or does the truth lie somewhere in between?

      As recently as two years ago, the prospect of attending a séance filled me with trepidation. The notion of sitting in a dimly-lit room whilst summoning the dead seemed foolhardy, and more than a little macabre. Had I been given a glimpse of my future, I would have barely believed that not only have I attended many séances in the two years since, but I have personally conducted them.

      So how does one go from being firmly opposed to such practices to fully embracing them? In my case, it happened quite by chance.

      My first séance took place in a fittingly dilapidated, Victorian hotel. The owners claimed to be suffering through an aggressive poltergeist disturbance, and were eager to get to the root of the haunting. I had been invited to accompany a well-known West Australian medium in his investigation, with the evening filmed by a local TV news crew. Perhaps naively, I didn't expect a séance to be involved, so when the medium whipped out a well-worn Ouija board, my heart began to race. All the terrifying séance stories I'd ever heard began flooding back, and my hands were visibly shaking as I placed them on the table.

      The medium dropped into a semi-trance state, during which he asked our spirit guides to shield us from any negative entities. As the table began to vibrate, he spoke in a slow and measured voice.

      "Any souls here present, please step forward now..."

      It wasn't long before the messages began flooding in, and what followed was one of the most memorable evenings of my life. A dear, departed friend made contact almost immediately, offering names and dates that only he and I knew. The table itself shuddered, shook, and eased up on two legs; it was an awesome sight to behold. Our dead friends and relatives poured in one after another, eager to seize the opportunity to communicate with us.

      Although the séance itself was a positive experience, the evening did open doorways that I would have preferred had remained closed. My greatest séance-related fear effortlessly manifested, as the hotel's poltergeist attached himself to me and followed me home. The evening set off an incredible chain of events, so many in fact that I documented them in what eventually became a book. And indeed, it is from these events that Embracing the Spirits came to be.

      Despite the frightening repercussions of my first séance, the outcome was ultimately positive. I had proof that it was an effective method of establishing spirit contact, and most importantly, how vital it was that appropriate protection be in place.

      Although I've been clairvoyant for as long as I can remember, I've been fruitlessly waiting for my clairaudience to develop ever since. It was tough being able to see spirits without being able to communicate with them. I had no idea what the spirits wanted from me or the messages they were trying to convey. So with my frustration mounting, I decided to begin conducting séances myself. I knew that I had mediumistic abilities, so I resolved to try and channel my energies into what I called my "spirit contact table" (the term "Ouija" just had too many sinister connotations!) When I eventually felt confident enough to protect myself and my sitters, I began using the table as a channeling tool. I felt it was the only way I could communicate with the spirits I have been seeing since I was a small child.

      These days I conduct séances on a regular basis, and have been doing so for just over a year. I choose my clients carefully, and treat the spirit contact table with the utmost respect. It is used as a tool to comfort the bereaved, and to deliver the unsaid, final messages of their deceased loved ones. It is a privilege to be able to facilitate such communication between souls on either side of the veil. This is never more true than when the spirit has suffered an untimely passing, and much has been left unsaid.

      And of course, every spirit contact session I facilitate brings me its own wonderful gifts. The spirits I speak with via the table have shown me that love survives bodily death, and that our loved ones remain a part of our lives regardless of what happens to their physical shell. In some instances, it is the spirits who seek me out with the desire to contact their loved ones, not vice versa. And although I don't always approve of the ways in which they go about getting my attention (I'm particularly averse to spirits shaking my bed), I do appreciate the motivation behind the action. Some souls will do whatever it takes to get their messages of comfort to their loved ones, and as far as I'm concerned, that's pretty awesome!

      So is there a definitive answer as to whether séances are safe or perilous? Good or bad? I don't believe there is. Although I have safely used my spirit contact table on countless occasions without repercussions, I always remain on guard and aware of the possible risks. One can never become blasé about such matters, and allow familiarity to make us less than vigilant with our protection. Yet whilst I proceed with caution, I always approach my séances with an open, loving heart rather than a fearful one. I believe that positivity and love attract the same in return, and my interactions with spirit has reinforced this.

      And while séances present us with the gift of interacting with our departed loved ones, I suggest that they are only conducted by those who are able to do so safely. It's also imperative that they are not over-used, as they do have the potential to become quite addictive. While it's lovely to speak with our loved ones who have passed, it's important that we allow them to continue on their spiritual journey without our constant harassment.

      The séance brings the gift of assurance that our loved ones live on in another dimension, and when the time comes we will be together again. But for now, we need to embrace our earthly existence and allow the spirits to immerse themselves in the wonders of their own. The time to reunite will come soon enough. And when it does, you may well find yourself on the other side of your very own séance...

      Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal. Copyright Llewellyn Worldwide, 2013. All rights reserved.

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    • Psychic Advice: When All Your Employers "Victimize" You

      miserable

      I am an ethical, hardworking nurse, and have always tried to do the right thing, which sometimes means standing up for myself and for what is fair. I’m facing big challenges in gaining employment so I can provide for myself and my son. I have been treated most unfairly by employers several times, and they still badmouth me. I don’t have the money for an attorney, so I have to just keep praying that the people who once said they’d be good references still will. Could I truly be so bad? I’ve always done the best I could for employers. Without an attorney to counter all the bad talk about me, I don’t know what to do. I’ve been victimized, tried to move on, and been victimized again. I am now in dire straights financially. Is there a spiritual reason all this is happening to me, and some way I can turn it around?

       – Gina

      Dreamchaser:

      Sometimes we have to work with people we do not really like and would not associate with personally, so you will never like everyone you work with or for. Furthermore, let me point out that not everyone you work with or for will like you either.

      You are not the type of woman who sits back and plays “church mouse” when someone is attacking you or someone else. You tend to stand up for yourself, which will rub some people the wrong way — especially if they are bullies to begin with.

      You are not that “bad,” to use your term; in fact, you are not bad in any way. You also do not need a lawyer. Everyone has a right to give whatever type of reference they want. You just happened to have serious personality conflicts in the last few jobs you were in. I’ve heard from a few nurses that doctors or superiors do not like it when a nurse is actually more knowledgeable than they are. (I think the patients appreciate you, however!)

      You do have employers who want to give you good references. They said they would; there is no reason for them to tell you that they will give you a good reference and then not do so.

      Here’s the rub: I think you are caught in a whirlpool of negativity. You have had so many things go against you the past few years out of which you can’t seem to climb. Everywhere you turn, you face negativity; every new venture you attempt, you face negativity.

      Quantum physics proves that what we think is the reality that we create. You are stuck in this negative cycle and so you continue to create more negativity. I suggest you rent a movie called What the Bleep Do We Know? Watch it a few times so you can absorb the concepts that are laid out so skillfully in this film. If you change your thinking, you absolutely can change your reality. Watching this movie is the easiest way I know to absorb these powerful teachings.

      You could also start to use sage to clear out the negative energy from your person and your environment. You can buy it from an online auction site if you can’t find it in your area. Light the sage stick, blow out the flames, let it smolder and walk with it through each room of your house. Let the smoke go into every corner and every crevice. You can do this as many times as you feel is necessary. It will change the energy in your house and inside of you as well.

      Start with those two suggestions and watch things change around you.

      I wish you balance.

      *****

      Astrea:

      I believe most nurses can relate to your complaints. I have several friends and clients who are nurses. Because they love the work they do, they hang in there and protect their patients from the bureaucracy of hospitals and nursing homes.

      My best friend has been fired three times this year for being too strong an advocate for her patients. I also have friends who work in hospitals and nursing homes in support, billing, cleaning and food service. They seem to feel the same as you do: that they are underpaid, under-appreciated, and often downright abused.

      It’s not anything you have personally done. The whole medical profession is suffering. Unlike many other countries, our government in the United States hasn’t made open and affordable health care a top priority. Medicine is big business in this country, and that is causing all kinds of problems for those who work in that field and need its services. I’m sure you find it almost impossible to be the sort of caregiver you want to be given the obstacles you face at every turn.

      Since you can’t afford a private attorney, I feel you should contact the American Civil Liberties Union. They have attorneys who specialize in problems such as yours. These attorneys handle cases where people are harassed at work, unfairly treated, and brow-beaten by their employers. There is no charge for their services, and you can find them in the white pages of your local telephone directory.

      If there is anything that can be done to prevent your former employers from speaking badly of you to other prospective employers, the folks at the ACLU will know what it is. They are very nice people and are used to talking to folks like you who find themselves in desperate times due to unfair treatment.

      Here’s another idea: perhaps you’d be happier if you went back to school and took courses to become a Nurse Practitioner so you could be more independent and work for yourself. One of my friends has taken a job as a “traveling nurse.” She goes to homes in the Appalachians — sometimes in places so remote that she is required to walk or travel on horseback. She finds this far more interesting and rewarding than hospital work. It’s also more spiritual because she gets to build personal relationships with her patients and is supported by the people she works for.

      Check the internet for courses in your area so you can free yourself from the bonds of the “established” medical machine and love your nursing career again.

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