I recently launched my JVP Mediumship Certification Course, and students have been posing some great questions! We’ve had fascinating discussions during student conference calls, as well as enlightening chats on the JVP School of Mystical Arts Student Facebook Page. I created my school to bring like-minded people together so we could all learn from each other – and that’s exactly what’s happening.

I couldn’t resist sharing some of these questions and answers here. If you’re on the path to become a medium or psychic, or if you simply have an interest in deepening your personal connection to Spirit, I think you’ll find these discussions enlightening.

I want to connect with my deceased loved one so badly – sometimes I sense that they are right next to me —but the harder I try to reach out to them, the further away they feel!

Stop trying so hard! If you put too much attention into getting a Spirit message, you can actually impede the process. It’s more effective to let go and trust your intuition. Let it be your guide – it will lead you to the connection you’re looking for.

How do you know it’s actually Spirit sending you a message, and not your own imagination?

Every medium struggles with this, especially when they are starting out. It’s difficult to differentiate between your own mind chatter and messages from spirit. The secret is – first, don’t try too hard, and second, “know thyself.” The more you are in touch with your own thoughts, motivations and ideas, the better you can separate your own thoughts from Spirit’s.

Sometimes messages come through loud and clear, and other times -nothing. How can I open up the pipeline to receive MORE messages from Spirit.

Spirits are not so different from the living – they gravitate to people who have positive energy! To link with Spirit you have to send out an energy that attracts them. Love, laughter and joyful energy bring the Spirit people to you. To prepare myself to receive Spirit messages, I picture a geyser of energy and light coming out of my crown chakra. Once you are in that loving, joyful place, invite Spirit in, and let them merge with you, so that you are sharing the space. Then open up your mind to the images, thoughts and feelings that come through.

What’s the most common way that Spirits come through to us?

Dreams are the easiest way for Spirit to connect with us. If a person in a dream looks, speaks and behaves the way they did when they were alive, and if the dream feels particularly vivid and emotionally charged, then chances are good that Spirit is coming through to you. You can encourage a loved one to visit you in your dreams my thinking about them before you go to sleep, and sending out loving, welcoming thoughts as you drift off.

Now that we know how to attract messages from the other side, how do we “shut off” spirits when we don’t want to hear them?

It’s all a matter of energy – to attract Spirit, I send out inviting energy. To shut down the connection, I simply visualize the energy flow focusing inward, and my chakras closing. This frees me up to have my own thoughts and go about my day.

What happens if the messages that come through are in another language?

Luckily for Mediums, the impressions, feelings and images that come through from Spirit are universal. When you merge with a Spirit, you are seeing and feeling what they feel – and their thoughts are not restricted to a particular earthly language.

My mediumship students range from professional mediums with successful practices to beginners who are just starting to explore their gifts. Regardless of where they are on their journey, they all have things in common – a desire to listen to their own soul’s voice, the belief that the dead have something to tell us, and faith that those they love are never far away.