I freely confess to having been a skeptic, perhaps even a non-believer, in anything of the Spirit. I love science, logic and theories of how things work. Being curious led me to observe effects that I was experiencing. That eventually led me to uncover my own psychic and Spirit connections. To say that the journey reshaped my beliefs is probably an understatement.

It took me 12 years to acknowledge that things were happening to me and around me that had no logical explanation. When I finally stepped into a Spiritualists church in 2005 I was fascinated to discover that there were explanations for all of the experiences I was having. Not always clear explanations. Not always logical either. But explanations. I decided to jump into this world & experience it before dismissing it. I was sure it would end up being dismissed as not real. Certain, in fact! Yet here I am 10 years later – convinced by my own experiences that what happens is a real thing. And standing up in front of people sharing my connection with the world of Spirit.

Over the last 10 years I have read, researched & questioned what I do as much as I possibly can. Many people will tell you I’m no pushover. I don’t change my mind easily either. I’m also willing to reflect on what I do, am told & experience. I believe that the best way to work to raise awareness that the Spirit world may be there is to give evidence, pass on messages & be in as many places as possible sharing my world view. I don’t seek to ‘convert’ anyone but I do expect respect for my views just as I respect anyone else’s right not to agree with my views.

I have watched many, many mediums trying to do the same. Wanting to put forward an alternative world view because we believe it. And also because we feel it can transform a person’s life experiences in a positive way. Developing good connections, learning how to express what can often come through as just a physical feeling or building up the energy required to communicate in a very different way take time, effort & patience. So I find it extremely disrespectful to be judged by people who have no idea what they are talking about.

Let’s be blunt. I’ve been told I cold read. I’ve been told my experiences are a load of rubbish. I’ve been told I’m guessing. I’ve been told I’m a fake, a fraud, a money grabbing vulture. And much, much more, most of it in a lot stronger language. But I’m not the only one who has been told this. Most mediums & psychics have been told they are simply tricksters preying on the vulnerable and gullible. My answer to all of these statements is ‘Walk a mile in my shoes’. I understand it’s easier to fear, disrespect and dismiss what you don’t understand. However, that seems to me to be the cowardly way out of expanding your understanding of things you don’t currently want to face.

So when I get armchair critics I send them loving forgiveness – they are judging something they aren’t prepared to try to understand. Even if they are sitting within the spiritual community wanting to find answers their defensiveness will prevent them from trying to communicate for themselves. We can all connect & communicate with one another intuitively (through our natural ability to translate each others psychic energy) and it’s a short step to talking to your own guides & loved ones. I get great comfort from this invisible network of support so why would I want to keep this to myself. Armchair critics will never be able to take that away from me – no matter how rude or judgemental. So, armchair critics, next time you expect a medium to ‘entertain’ you like a fairground sideshow, to tell you only what you want to hear or to be 100% accurate try to think about the effort that person has put into developing the very communication method you want to use and refrain from judging until you know more about what’s involved.