LIFESTYLEThe Life of a Medium’s Daughter

My mother is a psychic-medium. Don’t panic she’s not going to immediately embody your dead relative like Whoppi Goldberg in Ghost. Nor is she going to walk up to you in the grocery store and tell you that your dead dog Sparky is always with you like the Long Island Medium. Whenever people ask me what she does there is never a hint of shame or embarrassment in my response. There are times when I have to deal with a snicker, chuckle, skepticism, or even astonishment. I never judge because psychic ability and mediumship are often associated with boardwalk attractions or Hollywood fabrication of Psychics. Most of the time after I explain what my mom does the follow up questions is; “do you have powers too?”

I grew up in a small town in North Jersey. My hometown is 20 minutes from New York City and 5 minutes from MetLife Stadium. I was raised in a home with three siblings and both my parents. Childhood was very normal and pleasant. What set my upbringing apart from other children in my friend group and class, was the fact that I didn’t go to church or Sunday school. This was never really a thought in my mind, until the other kids would ask why and then precede to tell me I couldn’t get married. Kids say the weirdest and most ignorant things. Well, for one, my parents didn’t want to raise us that way. Two, the only place I can’t get married in is a Catholic Church, and that is the last place I would want my wedding. We grew up without following any religion in particular. Instead we were taught to honor all religions. More importantly, to understand our deep connection to our own Soul & Spirit. We learned how to access higher consciousness and to understand and connect to all others as Souls/Spirits. I never really questioned my upbringing because I truly thought everyone grew up this way. We were taught compassion for other types of religions and cultures. In fact, a lot of what my mom does is taken from a variety of culture and religions across the globe. As I grew up and learned more about specifics for these other cultures I felt more connected and grounded into my own school of thought.

Loss and Healing

Dealing with grief is something that I had to do a lot as a child. In a decade, my mother’s side of the family dealt with a lot of death. From my Nan and Pop to my Aunt Cre, it was really tough. At the time I didn’t understand. I grew up with exclusive knowledge that the connection we have with those who pass is never severed. Between mediumship, asking them for signs and visitation in our dreams my loved ones in Spirits are always around. Mediumship is a communication tool within everyone that allows us to talk to loved ones that have passed on—or in Spirit as my mom would say. When I mean that everyone has it I literally mean everyone can do it. However, that piece may not be unlocked within ourselves either because we are not ready or we are not trained to do so. Some people like my mother are more tuned in to that piece of themselves. Some ask, “well how do you differentiate your voice from another voice within?” My mother meditates often and she is very self-aware from practice. She knows when a voice isn’t hers. She takes classes by other mediums to strengthen her abilities, and teaches her own. In other words, you have to be mentally and emotionally grounded and spiritually mature enough to know your own self. It wasn’t until my mother self-published her book, Speaking from Spirit, that I began to fully grasp what my mom does and how it affects people’s lives, including my own. Whether it is at one of her free library events, or people coming to our home for private readings, I have always heard nothing but praise for my mother’s work. She has touched so many lives that it is hard for me to be skeptical of the healing ability of this kind of work. However, the question always comes up, “can you do what your mom does?”

Realizing my Own Abilities

Like an acceptance letter to Hogwarts, the realization of my own abilities allowed me to open a door within myself. It has always been there but I was not always ready or mature enough for it to open. It wasn’t until I left for college I realized how different my level of thinking and upbringing was from my peers. To begin, my siblings and I are very connected; we are very telepathic and empathic with each other. It is very similar to how twins describe their connectedness. Telepathy is thought communication—like that little feeling we get when we are thinking about another person and out of the blue they call you. I’ve even developed this connectedness with other people that I have met at school. Empathy is like being a psychic sponge. By being connected to other people you open yourself to also picking up their thoughts and feelings. My siblings and I are a combination of the two and we constantly pick up each other’s thoughts, feelings and even physical sensations. Typically, we pick up on each other’s negative feelings like sadness, anxiety and worries. For example, there are times where I am frantically studying for an exam and my sisters will text me asking if I feel nervous about something. Sometimes, they don’t even know my schedule, yet from 3000 miles away they still feel my worries.

I have always been an empath. As a child I would come and hysterically cry about all that I had “felt” throughout the day. If a classmate got yelled at by the teacher, I would go home upset over it. As a teen in high school, my family would make fun of me because I’d rather watch Netflix than go to a party. It wasn’t because I am an introvert, I am very much an extroverted person. In fact, a close friend of mine describes me as the most social anti-social person she knows. I enjoy going out and partying with friends but it’s hard for me to stay in that situation for long periods of time because I begin to feel overwhelmed. I have since learned that Empaths need a great deal of alone and solitude time to detox and regroup. Like I’ve mentioned empaths are like psychic sponges; they pick up on all the energies that people are radiating without even realizing it. Many people are empaths, but may have no ideawhat is really going on or how to manage it. When my mom read and recommended The Empath’s Survival Guide by Judith Orloff, it changed my life. This book really helped me realize and strategize ways to release energy that I have absorbed throughout the day. To battle, this I began to exercise and meditate more often. I ignored my FOMO (fear of missing out) and began staying when I didn’t feel like going out. Overtime, I began to feel less anxious, stressed and limited the effects of energy I’ve picked up throughout the day. If suspect you are an Empath, you should read it too.

Reflection and Parting Words

I believe everything happens for a reason, everything in our life is exactly the way it should be: the good, bad, traumatic, and everything in between. It is all there to teach us a lesson about ourselves, our spirit and our world. Even you, as the reader, you are taking this all in because you are going to learn something about yourself! I hope my story brings you peace and understanding. My upbringing gave me an advantage in becoming more self-aware, connecting to Divinity and my soul and other’s souls. Additionally, these “powers” are amazing tools that allow me to heal myself and others. My strong intuition guides me through life and permits me to decipher good vibes from bad. It has saved me from many situations and deceptive people. I cannot imagine how different my life would be if I wasn’t raised this way. I think certain situations that I have experienced in my life would have affected me way more than they did. I cannot thank Divinity and my own spirit enough for placing me where I am today.