It’s hard to believe it’s almost the end of July! I’ve met so many people this summer already – both online and in person. Even though my schedule doesn’t allow me to do private readings, I do everything possible to connect with as many people as possible on student conference calls, social media and live events.

Sometimes I worry that I can’t give everyone the answers they are looking for – there are so many of you that it would be impossible. But luckily, some questions come up again and again, and I’m going to do my best to answer them right here and now!

Here are answers to some of the questions I’m asked most frequently:

What was it like growing up with the ability to connect with Spirit? 

The movie Sixth Sense was very much like my childhood. I saw dead people all the time, but unlike the movie, my visions were always very happy and joyful, never dark or scary. When I was around seven years of age, I remember my mother and I were kneeling at my bedside saying nighttime prayers and I asked her, “Who are all those people in lights at the end of the bed?” She told me they were God’s angels and that I had nothing to fear, as they were here to help me. Funnily enough, she actually then said that she could see them when she was a little girl.

 What advice would you give to the parents of spiritually gifted or sensitive children and teens?

Children are born with a natural connection to Spirit, but as they grow older, many of them suppress or deny their gifts for fear of being teased or not fitting in. As a parent, you can acknowledge their ability and give them a safe place to share what they’re experiencing.

Don’t make a big deal out of it – I’ll always be grateful for the calm, matter of fact way my mother responded when I told her I could “see dead people.” Let your child take the lead, and give them the opportunity to learn more – it might help to start with my book, Looking Beyond: A Teen’s Guide to the Spiritual World.  

How did you develop your gifts and get where you are today?

After pushing my gift down in my teens and early 20s, I was inspired by an encounter with a medium to work on re-discovering and expanding my ability. For many years, I sat every Tuesday night in a development circle started by a British medium, Brian Hurst. I would also do my own daily meditation ritual. After several years, I began clairvoyantly to see the auras of people, animals and plants, just like I had when I was a child – soon after that, I started doing private readings – and the rest is history!

 Why should people not fear death?

Because there is no such thing as death – we are all made up of energy, and you can’t kill energy. As I said earlier, the most important message I have to share is that there’s no end to life – so people can put their fears to rest. What we do here will create what experience we have in the afterlife – so in that area, we control our own heaven and hell.

 Speaking of fear, is there anything bad that can come of connecting with ghosts and spirits?

I don’t feel that there is anything to fear from 99.9% of the spirits and ghosts I encounter. The connection is overwhelmingly positive, because they have wisdom and insights to share that are beneficial to the living.

What’s the difference between a ghost and a spirit?

Not too much – they’re very close, but a spirit is someone who has successfully passed over, while a ghost has the connotation of haunting. Sometimes when people pass, they leave an emotional imprint behind, instead of crossing over cleanly. For example, if a Mother dies in childbirth, there is an emotional charge from her passing that is seared forever in time and space. That mother’s “imprint” might appear on earth to her child or others.

 You offer live workshops and online courses. Which is most effective?

Bottom line – it depends on how you’re most comfortable learning, and what fits best with your life. There’s nothing like coming to a workshop and fully immersing yourself in my teachings without any distractions, but that’s not always possible. I created my online school for two reasons. First, because my students come from around the world, it’s not always practical for them to travel to a live workshop. At http://www.jvpschoolofmysticalarts.com/ anyone can learn my techniques from anywhere, anytime. They can start small with a guided meditation or mind journey – or go for a full certification course. They can combine online video lessons, conference calls, and live workshops. Also, a key component of learning is connecting with other students. While, of course, a retreat or live workshop is a great place to meet like-minded people, I’m also proud of how my school has brought people together online through course-specific Facebook groups and development circles.

Does being a full-time medium mean you’re always “on?” How do you shut off the voices and ghostly impressions so you can relax or take care of your day-to-day responsibilities?

I learned long ago that if I always kept myself open to receiving messages, I’d soon be energetically depleted. Plus, I didn’t want to be tempted to relay messages to people who were not ready to receive them. I feel very strongly that it’s not appropriate to offer unsolicited messages to strangers! I teach my students techniques to control their gift by imagining themselves being like a radio. They can choose to tune into the Spirit frequency, and they also have the option to switch their receiver off at any time.

 Lastly, based on your extensive experience, what advice would you give anyone wanting to become a medium, healer or psychic?

Great question! These days, at least in the US, everyone thinks they can be a medium and promote themselves as one without any development whatsoever. They see mediums on reality TV giving messages to people and think they can take one intuitive class and do the same thing. But it’s important to have respect and reverence for the work.  Even professional well-known mediums have to remember that they should always be bettering themselves and expanding their mediumship. I feel that every day I need to get better and better… and that’s after 35 years. As I said earlier – I do this because it’s my calling to share the awareness that life goes on and on, and death is an illusion. I owe that to the living people I encounter as well as the spirit people.

 I hope you found some of the answers you were seeking. If you have more questions for me – please post them on my Facebook Community !