Awakening (Lily Dale #1)(62)

WCS: Can you describe how you receive psychic impressions? How do you see (or hear or speak with) people who have passed?

LT: You are presented with impressions—that’s the right word. Everyone has what I call an “intuitive style.” It might be very visual, or very auditory, or very sensory or body-based, sort of a gut feeling. Over time these blend together and you reach what I call the “knowing zone,” where you just . . . know. Your impressions are also what I call “symbolic shorthand.” You learn how to interpret that information through practice, and of course by paying attention. Keeping a record of your own symbols is wise. For example, I get months of the year by flowers. August is a gladiola; March is a crocus.

But this is a two-way street. Some spirit people are better communicators than others, just as some human beings are better communicators than others. That’s why you often find that a newly crossed-over person receives assistance from someone who died long before, to help them “learn the ropes,” you might say.

WCS: In my research I came across this symbolic shorthand repeatedly. Interestingly, flowers and floral scents play a major role in my Lily Dale books as Calla connects with spirits. So, are the spirits of our loved ones with us 24-7 or do they touch in and out?

LT: When we invite them into our lives, they’re more likely to stop by—just like with our friends and relatives here. So it’s a touch-in-and-out process. Invitation and openness help immensely. Ask for them, keep them near, in your mind and heart.

WCS: Ask for them aloud?

LT: Yes, if that’s your style.

WCS: Or do they “hear” our thoughts?

LT: They do indeed “hear” our thoughts. So if you don’t like talking to your long-lost loved ones aloud, reaching out mentally is fine.

While you were gathering information for your books, did you ever ask any mediums in Lily Dale for their help?

WCS: As part of the research process, I’ve had readings with a number of mediums there over the past several years, though I never mentioned that I was writing a book. Several of them picked up on that, though. When I did approach the Assembly office at Lily Dale, I was warmly welcomed and officially put in touch with Donna Riegel. She graciously answered all my questions, did an incredibly accurate (and emotionally moving) reading for me, then invited me to sit in on her beginning mediumship class that evening.

When you were young and just developing your abilities, were you ever frightened or wary, as Calla is, of your experiences or of spirits?

LT: Mostly I was more frightened of the reaction of adults! The spirits never once bothered me in that way. It’s when I would say something adults knew I had no knowledge of that the trouble started. The “how did you know that?!” reaction. In fact, my kindergarten report card had an Outstanding mark in imagination and another for storytelling— only it wasn’t my imagination and I wasn’t telling stories. Like a lot of naturally talented young mediums I was only reporting my experiences.

WCS: Meaning you were in touch with “imaginary friends” who were actually spirits?

LT: Yes, my imaginary friends were spirits. Children between the ages of three and five in particular have such experiences. For some children, though, it persists. In those cases, it’s possible that the child is indeed connecting with spiritual energy and has a sensitivity that is just extended beyond the usual realm. Not really a “sixth sense” but extended sensory perception in general.

WCS: What advice would you give a teenager who may feel that he or she has intuitive abilities?

LT: First, don’t panic. Second, start keeping a record or journal— privately. This isn’t something you write to post on MySpace or Facebook. Record your dreams. Impressions. What comes to you. What you immediately connect it with. Also make quiet time—meditate or sit alone quietly, regularly.

Then, start practicing with fairly immediate feedback situations to “fine-tune” things. Tune in to what you think your best friend is going to wear on Friday, but do it on a Tuesday. Write it down. Then see if you’re correct. Stand before the door you think will open in a bank of elevators. That kind of thing. This builds your sensitivity.

WCS: You had mentioned that you teach people to “safely” communicate. Would you elaborate on this, since the whole thing is a little scary for someone who isn’t accustomed to the idea?

LT: I am a big believer in what I call Declaration. This is self-empowerment. Boundary-setting. For example, “I am not open to spirit communication unless it is positive for me and others” or “I will not have my sleep disturbed” or “I accept only what is in my highest and best interest to know.” Just as you might set boundaries in a personal relationship with a friend, you do so with the spirit world.

WCS: Do spirits frequently visit us in our sleep? I’ve been reading about that phenomenon.

LT: Yes, they often come in our sleep. That’s because we’re most relaxed then. So in addition to record keeping, it’s smart to take meditation time or quiet time, even if it’s for only five minutes a day. Then you find that you experience the spirit energies and communications while you’re awake, and you sleep better. Now, if you have a truly powerful unforgettable “dream”—the kind in which you can remember every detail weeks, months, or even years later— that’s possibly an actual spirit visitation that happened during sleep. Those are rare compared to regular dreams but unforgettable if you’ve had one.