Into Darkness: Samhain Reflections

Posted on October 31, 2016 by Astral Annie

It’s the 31st October. The day we know as Halloween or All Hallows’ Eve. However, it’s also called Samhain. This title relates back into Celtic times and possibly before. So why does it matter now?

The tradition observed on Samhain relates to celebrating the end of the harvest. It’s the time of stopping the work on the land and settling in for the Winter months. It’s a time of hearth and home with the hope of enough harvest goodness to sustain the family through the fallow months. Animals are gathered in close. Preparations are being made for the coming Spring planting. But the bulk of the year’s work has stopped. It is a time of growing darkness. I love this sense of rest and reflection. The idea that I collect my harvest from my work with time to plan for my next year. It’s also part of the tradition that at this time the divisions between this and the other worlds are thin.

Two of our key human questions seem to be where did we come from and where do we go. I am often asked to explain about the life we live between human lives. Samhain is one of the times when those questions can be explored a little more. I know that the energy barriers between the dimensions (to put it in the terminology of my time) are ‘thinner’ than normal. If I choose to, I can step in a little closer to the other worlds and explore. What I am exploring relates to the eternal cycle of life and death and rebirth. Our ancestors knew and understood that cycle. After all it was played out for them every year in their connection to the land and growing things.

When we recognise that there is this underlying process going on I know that what we achieve becomes more significant. What legacy do we leave behind for others? Or even ourselves when we are reborn?

That’s where I feel that the celebration of Samhain can remind us to think of a differnt approach to life. Not one where time is linear and events are fixed. But where there is a state of potential, of fluid time and that anything is possible. For if I access the edges of other dimensions then my reality is not the only one. My parents aren’t dead and gone forever. There are other energy flows that are available to me. The world of the Spirits can come close and send back it’s messages of love and comfort. No wonder we have the Greek myth of Persephone as a way of explaining the interconnection between two worlds as well. When I connect into these other energies what do I receive?

I believe that Samhain is a time when greater amounts of love and healing can be transferred into this world. The Spirits who meet us at the border between the worlds remind us that love is an eternal energy. It doesn’t fade or diminish. Our loved ones in Spirit can join us by the fire and share in our achievements, our losses and our reflections. They can encourage us to look forward to the return of the light. To new days full of opportunities. Their quiet comfort can bring us healing. Have I been working myself too hard? Did all my planting bring me a good crop? Have I done enough to provide for those I care for? Their answer is always yes.

If I recognise that I have done well in some things I can forgive myself for having done less well in others. I can use the dark days to review and revise what I do next.

The darkness is a welcome break. Because it’s not completely dark during the day. I also have the gift of firelight (electricity nowadays) to show me fresh possibilities. I love gazing into the fire. That’s because my mind conjures up wonderful pictures. I can create as I will. The pressure to hurry up and get on with things is gone. I can be fruitfully idle. What a wonderful moment to have. This day of celebration is opening my mind to all sorts of things. How amazing that my ancestors knew all of this. And how appropriate that I share the dark and light of this day with them.

Day 351 of my blogging challenge.

Haunted Houses, Spooky Events

Posted on October 30, 2016 by Astral Annie

Of course we are nearly at Halloween. The tv and magazines are full of haunted houses and spooky goings on. Tonight I saw an ad for a channel running horror movies to celebrate. It made me wonder why we like to scare ourselves.

From programmes like Most Haunted to films like Poltergiest it seems some people can’t get enough of the idea that Spirit beings are bad, aggressive or out to hurt us. I have to say that I’ve never aproached working with Energy Beings with that point of view. I have learned over time that Spirit people are still people. Good, bad or indifferent, much as they were in life. When I’ve visited places to check out for haunting or spooky goings on I’ve often found that there is more imagination involved than actual Spirit communication.

That’s not to say that haunted locations don’t exist. I feel that we often rush to grasp onto the idea of ghosts and poltergeists before looking for the ordinary explanations. I love working with orbs. Though I am also very aware that light anomalies can be the reflections of light from physical sources. Sometimes sources we aren’t aware of. I’ve caught a few orbs on my camera that have turned out to be the glitter of a ring or a bounced back reflection from a mirrored surface. In the same way I consider very carefully before I look for a paranormal explanation. Creaks and bangs can be the result of buildings cooling down especially where wood or central heating is old. Things disappearing can be memory lapses not ghosts.

When I go anywhere to investigate I want to be sure I have ruled out all of the normal explanations for phenomena. Especially where it seems that people are getting themselves scared about what is happening.

Not everything seen in the movies is real. In my work with the Spirit World they talk about how we seem to want to be fearful of communicating with them. And I have to agree. It’s almost as if there is a need to make our loved ones into spooky, haunted apparitions. Perhaps it began as a way to stop us connecting with them? After all, some religions much prefer that I didn’t have a direct line of contact to the Energy Beings. So perhaps it’s not so strange that a pagan festival to celebrate the turning of the year has been portrayed as a time of fearfulness. I feel the message is ‘run and hide, the boogie man is coming to get you’. What about ‘yippee, hard work is over for three months’ instead?

In the end, I usually find that there are extremely good reasons for a house to feel haunted. But incredibly rarely by actual Spirits. Mostly there is stuck aura energy from past experiences and people who don’t understand what is happening so fear something bad. Now and again the Spirit people trying to make contact have been trying too hard. They haven’t realised that their usual signals are being misinterpreted. When I do find Spirit visitors I always ask what they want, often tell them to be a bit quieter and usually pass on their messages of love and support to the occupants. Of course there is always the house that has a resident Spirit. These are the ones who like to keep us company. Or love their old home so much they want to stay around.

I have enjoyed a few great chats with the ones who choose to stay close to their old place. They watch what is happening and are glad that people sometimes realise they are there.

It makes sense to me really. There are one or two places I’ve lived that I would want to take a look at again if I was a Spirit. Probably because I’m rather nosey and would want to find out if anything had changed. I’m not sure I would be the quietest of haunting if there was something I didn’t agree with. I suspect I might be quite naughty in getting someone’s attention. It’s quite a funny thought really. Perhaps the owner would have to get the ghostbusters to come and talk to me. Now that would be very spooky!

Day 350 of my blogging challenge.

Developing Intuitive Ability

Posted on October 29, 2016 by Astral Annie

Today I’ve been focused on helping people develop their intuitive ability. I enjoy working with people one to one. And I also find it really great to help people in my D2E Psychic Club.

It’s been one of my realisations that we all have psychic senses. We can all use our intuition. This ability is both natural and normal. However, because it’s a very misunderstood ability, I also know that a lot of people are very unsure whether they want to tune into their psychic senses at all. That’s why I run a Psychic Club where people can come and try different things. I get the chance to explain what is happening and they get a chance to try it for themselves. I’m delighted to say that for the past five years many people have been given a lot to think about because of the Psychic Club.

Alongside the group meeting I also offer one to one sessions for people who are ready to make connections to Energy Beings. These sessions can be face to face, online or by telephone. It means I can work with specific issue that people have. And I can tailor the content of the sessions to areas which need attention. It’s a great way to make sure that someone can build on what they have already discovered. And it also means that I can pay particular attention to what their Guides want to help them with. After all, each person has their own Guide team to help them. Yet, depending on what the person is able to do, that team might still be out of reach. Helping make the connections is a really rewarding part of my involvement.

Sometimes discovering their ability is all a person wants. It might be enough that I help them to us their intuition more.

I never push someone to go beyond what they want. It might be my job to explain that they can do more. But the choice of how to develop is always with the person. That’s why I like my Club to be open. People can attend or not as they feel on the day. I also like people to explore more widely. There are lots of great books available on all sorts of subjects involving intuitive ability. There are workshops (including mine), events, videos and lots of other practitioners. I know that I spent plenty of my time doing all sorts of different things before I really started my development proper.

It’s true to say I still do. I love exploring different techniques, going to other people’s events and finding out the many, many ways that intuitive abilities are applied by others. To me the journey into mediumship comes from a curiosity about what I, as a human being, can do. What undiscovered skills to I have? What unexplored talents? I hope that I always have this curiosity. It would be lovely to feel that I will always be ready to explore me some more. If my life is a journey I would like it to take me to new and unexpected places. In the same way that I am ready to take myself on a journey I hope that my work with other people will be a signpost for their journey. Let’s travel part of the way together.

Day 349 of my blogging challenge.

Discovering Physical Mediumship

Posted on October 29, 2016 by Astral Annie

There is one kind of mediumship that grabbed my attention a long time ago. Long before I even thought about being a medium. During my study of psychology I discovered physical mediumship.

Of course at that time I was very firmly standing in the science camp. So I thought that the historical records of physical mediumship were most likely misguided reports. Or fraudulent attempts to pass off magic tricks on vulnerable people. I was firm that no such things as I had read about could be true. Then I started to discover my own abilities. Eventually, after a number of years, I even started to want to develop my intuitive abilities. That’s when I first discovered, through my own efforts, trance mediumship. It seemed it was something I could do. Not that long after I began to find that physical phenomena happened when I worked in trance.

Keen to learn more about physical mediumship I started to re-read some of my books. I also looked around for new books to give me more idea of what I could expect to have happen if I carried on developing through trance and into sitting for physical activity. I was fortunate enough to meet with Robin and Sandra Foy after reading Robin’s book about the Scole experiments. And I was also able to attend seances with reputable mediums where the phenomena were impressive. Out of this search came my willingness to sit for the Energy Beings to see what else could happen when I went deeper into a trance.

My journey over the past tweleve years has been fascinating. Full of stops and starts. Also full of intriguing phenomena. Most of which I haven’t known until I resurfaced from my altered state of consciousness.

That’s the most interesting thing of all. I am in a deep meditative state so that the Energy Beings can work through me to make things happen in this world. They remain in their world but make it clear they can affect our world. I know they do this to encourage us to question the nature of reality rather than to scare us. In fact, if anyone is scared by what is happening the Energy Beings will shut the phenomena down. The more I sit in a group and work the more they will show us.

They often start by changing the temperature around the room quite a bit. Or making the room lighter or darker. There may be clicks, knocks or bangs. They like to show orbs or coloured lights. Or touch the arm or hand of participants. If the energy is high enough they may move objects. Or make ectoplasmic shapes. The Energy Beings are experimenting all the time and want me to join them in seeing how much they can do. I enjoy sitting with a group so that we all share this kind of connection. Even as I am typing this the Spirit people are making little clicks and small noises around my room. They know I like to know they are with me. They even showed up as an orb during a live broadcast video I did today.

I am excited about this kind of mediumship. Especially because it’s a way of bringing forward evidence of another existence. That there is intelligence or consciousness outside of the body.

At heart I am still a scientist. I’m prepared to look wider for my understanding of reality than simply physics, chemistry or maths. I want to explore how it all works. The Energy Beings who come through to work with us in our physical circle want to help us understand more. I’m sure it’s because when we do we will change our way of living. I know that finding out I was more than I thought I was freed me to think and act differently. It helped me to embrace the spiritual nature of my being. Life has been a lot more peaceful since.

Day 348 of my blogging challenge.

A Life Less Predictable

Posted on October 27, 2016 by Astral Annie

I would have liked to sleep in this morning. Instead I had readings to do, meditation to lead and a Drop In to run. Working for myself I fondly imagined I would be able to please myself about my day.

That is where I was wrong. Living an intuitive life means things are less predictable than I once imagined. Of course, as my own boss, I can set my own working hours. It’s just that sometimes I am drawn to say yes when perhaps I had intended to say no. I guess when I started out working publicly as a medium I assumed that there would be an even, steady flow of work. People who booked to see me would stick to their appointments. I would have certain days only when I was available. And I would have lots of time for the things I thought I would like to do.

I imagined predictable things would happen. Readings, church services, a bit of teaching and some healing. There would be a pattern and a flow so I would have a diary filled with organised days. Of course it has never worked like that. Not that I haven’t tried to make my days an organised dream. Or that part of me has been itching to colour code, block out and schedule everything neatly. As the years have clicked by each new diary has had planner and pages noted and marked. Events and workshops placed on dates where I am certain they will fit beautifully with everything else. Only to find six or eight weeks in the appointments and lists are a hotch potch of crossings out. All order thrown firmly out of the window.

I do it so often that redoing my diary is now predictable. Perhaps the only thing that is when I’m looking to the future.

For that’s another thing I’m often asked to do for people. They want me to predict for them without realising that not everything is set in stone. It’s predictable that if we always do what we have always done then we will always get what we alway got. The future is only available for me to read if the person concerned is willing to change course. Having something new happen relies on creating the energy and will to change the pattern we have now. So one of my biggest strides with my work and business was when I realised that old habits die hard. I had to learn to free myself up to the unpredictable nature of change.

My intuition always prompts me when change energy is on the way in. If I pay careful enough attention I can even predict what the changes are likely to be. Of course, I may resist the changes, especially if I have got too comfortable in my current pattern. Yet if I do follow what my intuition, or my heart, suggests I find myself in a better situation. I meet new and interesting people. There are fresh work opportunities. I have fun. Things change a bit and I hold onto the past less. Eventually something reminds me how much I have changed from the way I used to be. This is the process of evolution in action. My life is helping me to grow and thrive. I know it can feel strange or unsettled for a while but now I wouldn’t swap my intuitive life for predictability.

Day 347 of my blogging challenge.

Floating on the Energy

Posted on October 27, 2016 by Astral Annie

I’ve been floating through today. When I’m going to do any trance mediumship my energy is always boosted by my Guides. That’s because I need to be at a higher vibration to blend better with the Energy Beings who want to come through.

Floating is a lovely feeling. The day to day world can feel rather remote. Not the best day for me to try to complete some admin tasks. I feel like I’m in a meditative state that gets deeper and deeper. It’s amazing to think that this altered state is completely natural and that it’s something we can all experience. Of course I’m aware that I still have to live my life. I need to deal with all the practical things. Floating isn’t a way of opting out of responsibility for myself. Yet it is a way to understand what matters and what doesn’t.

When I raise my vibration through opening up to the extra energy flowing around me, I also shift my awareness. It’s like I’m seeing every thought or feeling from a distance. I have the chance to observe myself more clearly. And I can let things go more easily. Really floating means letting the low vibrational, negative energy pass me by. Paying no attention to the drama or turbulence within and around me. Meditation is great for shifting my focus. Deeper trance helps me to find a peaceful centre from which to operate.

I know that tomorrow I will be back fully in the world once more. I’ve done my trance demonstration and it’s time for most of the energy to dissipate. I have to float back down to Earth. The wonderful thing is I can continue to view things from a distance. It will be possible for me to remain in that peaceful place. Floating isn’t only about raising my energy vibration. It’s also about knowing I can ride out the energy I find myself in. I have a choice. I don’t need to be pulled in to anything that disrupts my peace.

It’s a great gift that my Guides have helped me to find.

Day 346 of my blogging challenge.

Two Months of Tests Left

Posted on October 25, 2016 by Astral Annie

Only two months left. 2016 is fading fast. I’m filling in my diary for 2017 quite a bit now. So what can I expect for the rest of this year?

This year has been one of tests. Challenges to see how I am doing with my commitment to my spiritual self. Two or three times I’ve felt like I have taken a wrong turn or even a step back into old patterns. Each time I’ve noticed fairly quickly and been able to do something differently. The key to noticing has been that I’ve been keeping a close watch on my feelings and thoughts. So today I’ve been wondering what is still left for me to put under the microscope. That’s the key to ending the year well.

I’ve mentioned before that 2016 is also the year to choose. The choice is very simple. Do I keep following the same old patterns that limit me. Or do I start new ways of doing things so that I give myself more freedom. This is where the Universal energy flow is very sneaky. Situations are cropping up frequently at the moment to test if I react and act differently. All of us are facing this same energy. So it’s really important to look deeper into any situation that presents itself. I know I can’t take anything at face value right now. I also know that people will disagree with me. Or think I’m wrong. They may even decide I’m causing them hurt or problems. I have to rise above it all.

The rest of this year is about my own truth. About doing what I feel to be the best I can from my point of view. No one else has to agree. In fact there may be two or more opinions about any situation. What matters at the moment is giving voice to my truth.

If I am strong enough to choose to empower myself by stepping away from the old, shadowy fears I know I can start 2017 in a positive way. Two months of staying firm about my values and beliefs. A short time left to confirm that I believe in myself above all else. That I want the best for myself. Because my intention is to share that best with everyone else who crosses my path. How wonderful to think that we could all live to our best. To imagine a world of honesty and trust because the hidden, and not so hidden, agendas had disappeared. It’s been a big ask this year to hold onto that dream. But with two months to go I know I’m ready to make that dream a reality.

Day 345 of my blogging challenge.

Remembering Death

Posted on October 25, 2016 by Astral Annie

This evening I went to Wakefield to do a demonstration of mediumship. I enjoyed bringing in the Spirit connections but the best part of the evening was the conversation with my daughter as we drove home.

It started because one of the Spirit people wanted to let their loved ones know that there was no memory of actual pain when we die. As the physical body is vacated the Spirit experiences a falling away of any pain experiences. Physical pain becomes a faded memory. And like any memory it can be replayed rather than re-experienced. That’s why sometimes I ‘feel’ the aches and pains of the person who is communicating. It’s a form of remembering for confirmation purposes only.

In the car I was reminded of something that happened this weekend. My daughter asked about reality. What is it? Would it be different if we were in another dimension? How do we know our reality is the only one? Good questions I thought. But I wondered about how to answer. Then I thought about the paranormal night on Saturday. With a group of people I found myself in a cell in the prison under Nottingham’s courts building. We were hoping to make contact with Spirit people. As I tuned in to the energy I picked up some who were ready to communicate. However, there was also low vibrational energy – entities – trying to connect in too.

One thing I feel needs remembering is that we have to guard against making assumptions about the nature of Energy Beings. From our reality it is difficult to make sense of their reality. Although some rules seem to apply they may be more about our perceptions than their actual reality.

Based on my experiences and the guidance I have received one of those rules is about pain. A visiting Spirit makes light of any human pain they have experienced. Although they may tell me, or occasionally show me through my clairsentience, what illnesses they had or how they died they don’t focus on the pain involved. The information is used only to confirm who they are. The conversation rapidly moves on. However, I also know that entities place a great deal of emphasis on anything painful or fearful. They want to create an energy vibration that they can soak up and recharge their batteries from.

So when someone started to discuss seeing a Spirit being in great pain I responded very cautiously. As the communication went on it was clear to me that the communicating Energy wanted to generate feelings of sadness and fear. Remembering the rules I checked for the Energy Beings present in the room. There were still Spirits but the low vibrational beings were there too. As people assumed that the cells would contain unhappy people and children the sadness grew. Yet that was only one reality. For some prisoners and their children it is possible that they had better provision than they would have experienced outside. Certainly not compared to modern standards. But when I have looked into social history for some a prison might have meant a prolonging of life rather than loss of life.

And that is the point. My understanding of the reality for a person 200 years ago is filtered through my assumptions about what reality I am living. From another point of view I might make very different assumptions about the nature of what I experience as reality.

So when I connect with Energy Beings I have to be very careful how I translate the information I am getting. Remembering not to assume anything is the key. Perhaps most importantly of all, I have to be open minded about the nature of reality. It isn’t fixed although we often behave like it is. Making room in my mind for debate has been a good way to learn to accept the communication experiences I have had. After all, which reality is real? Mine or theirs? All I know is that when I and my colleague focused on the positive energy around us we had a glorious game of chase the orb with the Spirit beings present in the room.

Day 344 of my blogging challenge.

Enter the Orbs to much Laughter

Posted on October 23, 2016 by Astral Annie

I love taking the opportunity to work with Energy Beings in many different ways. So whether you call it a seance, a circle or a paranormal investigation doesn’t really matter. I take every chance I can to sit still for a while and ask them to connect with me.

I find it takes a lot of patience to make the energy connections. Stuff doesn’t just happen in 5 seconds or 5 minutes. I also know that to get the best from the communication the energy has to be positive, light and bright. And I also know that any place you are can become active if you give the Energy Beings the chance to show themselves. I often sit quietly in all sorts of places and ask them for a sign that they are present. One of the signals I often get is to see or photo orbs.

Orbs are a very interesting phenomenon. There is a debate about whether they are caused by dust, insects, the way the light falls, the internal workings of the camera or weather conditions like rain. I only know that every so often I get the feeling I need to take a camera out with me. Or to get my iPhone out and start clicking away. When I do that I often find I have captured orbs. I guess you could also call them light anomalies too. Orbs are generally expected to be round. Sometimes I have beams of light or fogging instead. In a sequence of snaps I can have nearly all perfectly normal with the odd, random one containing an anomaly.

I’m sure that the Energy Beings love making orbs and stray random lights appear in our photo equipment. They love it because it gets us thinking and talking. It gets us into how and why.

If fact, I’m sure they start the debate just to get us going off investigating. And experiencing. And opening our minds. So I encourage people to take photos when I’m working my mediumship. Even when I’m in a trance state. It’s a good time to capture orbs on film as I’m working in the vibration that the Energy Beings use to connect with us. Sometimes EMF meters, voice recorders and other technical equipment aren’t as much fun. Energy Beings want to get some laughter into the proceedings and scientific tools can be a bit dry. So last night I sat in an investigation with Energy Beings who decided they didn’t really want to play that way.

However, when it was quiet and dark I got the prompt to start taking photos with my phone. In the pitch black the light from the camera, as it prepared to flash, showed us on the screen a whole room full of orbs. They flew up, down, around in circles, towards us and away from us. I pressed as rapidly as I could to see if I could get photos of them. They zipped towards the screen as if laughing that the camera would be too slow. I found myself laughing too. The more we joined in the laughter the more the orbs flew about. When I tried my iPad they stopped. When I tried with the camera pointed to another part of the room they stopped. It was clear they wanted to run the show.

Is my photo evidence proof? The debate about orbs might say no. Then has the experience got any meaning for me? I would say yes.

When you have watched orbs flying around a dark room, invisible to the naked eye but clearly there in your viewfinder, you do wonder. The first time it happened for me it made me really question my scepticism. I moved from thinking with my analytical brain to considering orbs with my creative mind. Every time it has happened since I know I am experiencing something wonderful. Something perhaps outside my comfort zone. But also something that I can’t ignore. I have posted below a few of the photos I got in the investigation last night. Not to convert anyone to anything. But to encourage you to experience, reflect and then explore some more.

Day 343 of my blogging challenge.

Investigating the Unknown

Posted on October 22, 2016 by Astral Annie

I’ve spent the day listening to presentations about the paranormal. People talking about how they carry out investigating phenomena produced by Energy Beings. Often from the believer versus non-believe points of view.

It’s been very interesting. There are several paranormal teams attending the conference too so lots of conversations about what an investigation looks like. Later I’m joining in and investigating the Galleries of Justice. I’m fascinated to see if there is any Spirit energy present. Or just lots of aura recording that replay when triggered by our psychic energies. In the courtroom today I found myself drifting off a bit. Was it trance energy? Or was it a late night combined with my G&T? If I’m investigating I like to consider all possibilities before I decide. In this case I’m sure it was the later night as I didn’t have the other trance signals I get when Energy Beings are around.

That’s an important point. I know that keeping an open mind is vital to investigating. Going in with pre-set expectations or beliefs will invalidate the experience right from the off. So tonight I am looking forward to exploring this location. I will be paying attention to the energies of the other people. And I will be questioning about what is being experienced or reported. From my studies of psychology I do know the mind can play tricks on us. Especially in an atmosphere of fear or anxiety. Group dynamics also play a part too.

I like to observe people as they encounter what might be Energy Beings. Understanding that people can have a strong reaction if the experience runs counter to their expectations is important. Investigating these reactions can be a valuable experience in itself.

When we are put in unexpected situations or find our beliefs challenged the result can be stress. I know that Energy Beings try not to stress us out. But they do want us to continue investigating. It took me years of investigating to change my views on whether they were there or not. They aren’t trying to convert us but they certainly want to communicate their existence to us. So when I’ve been to ‘haunted’ places they have sometimes been empty of Spirits. Yet at other locations there has been so much amazing activity. It makes me smile. Because they work on giving is the experiences we need not those we expect. Tonight I have no expectations. That’s great. Because anything can happen. And I’m sure the Energy Beings will give me whatever they feel I need from this experience tonight.

Day 342 of my blogging challenge.

Annie Conboy

Down 2 Earth in everything she does!

Monthly Archives: October 2016