Seeking the Holiday Spirit

Explore James' Teachings and Insights on All Things Spiritual

Seeking the Holiday Spirit

Nov 9, 2018 | JVP's Blog

This December I’ll be spending a few days in New York City for an Evening of Spirit and one-day workshop hosted by the Open Center. As I prepare for my last event of 2018, I can already feel so many souls gathering around me, ready to share their messages of love, light, and healing.

December is my absolute favorite time to host a mediumship demonstration because the magical energy that exists during this season attracts our loved ones on the other side, bringing them extra close.

This year, I feel especially blessed to have the chance to spend time with my students, friends and family at a time and place that is so special to me.

When I was a child growing up in Bayside New York, I looked forward every year to the moment when it started “feeling like the holidays.” I never knew exactly when that special feeling would show up. One year it arrived right after my mother had finished decorating the Christmas tree. My father switched on the white twinkling lights and my family and I sat in the dimly lit room, breathing in the scent of pine. My mother took my hand as we admired the beautiful tree, and I felt the familiar holiday magic light up my soul.

Another year, the spirit came to me during a church service, as the choir’s voices soared during an especially beautiful arrangement of Oh Holy Night. My grandfather had recently passed, and I remember feeling his loving presence right beside me in the pew as the choir sang his favorite carol.

As I got older, the spirit sometimes took longer to present itself. One year I thought I might not feel it at all – then, leaving midnight mass on Christmas Eve, I was thrilled to see that it had started snowing while we were in the church. The quiet streets were magically transformed by sparkling flakes, and as I watched them fall, illuminated by the streetlights, I felt it. That elusive spirit of the holidays that is a magical blend of anticipation, hope, love, and something else. Something intangible and timeless and special.

As I recall those moments now, I marvel at how clearly I remember the sights, sounds and wonderful feelings I experienced! It’s as if they happened yesterday, instead of decades ago.

When I moved to the west coast, I worried that the special feeling would be gone forever. How could I summon up the holiday spirit in an unfamiliar place without the snow, ice skaters, Macy’s Santa, and FAO Schwartz store windows that I had grown up with?

But it turned out that I didn’t have to worry about summoning the holiday spirit. It found me through my work as a medium. As I grew into my gift, it became apparent that the Spirit people were drawn to the energy of the holidays. When I worked with clients and demonstrated my mediumship on stage during the latter part of the year, I found myself illuminated by the magical feeling like never before. It didn’t matter where I was, the messages that came through at this time of year were special, and left myself and everyone around me with a beautiful glow that endured well into the new year. Sharing the knowledge that loved ones on the other side are still here, part of the unbreakable circle of friends and family with whom we celebrate, makes my soul light up with the holiday spirit just like it did when I was a boy.

I hope you’ll join me for a very special weekend at the Open Center in New York City, as we celebrate the joy of the season with loved ones on both sides of the veil.