When I began working as a medium, I did a lot of house parties. Someone who’d heard of my work, sometimes a friend, sometimes a complete stranger, would contact me to come and demonstrate mediumship for a group of people in their living room. My favorite groups were families or close friends, and they were always different. Sometimes, a mom’s group, work colleagues, or a bachelorette party.
I never knew how the people knew one another; sometimes, they didn’t know each other; they only knew the host. These groups made for some fun (and sometimes awkward) energy, making this my least favorite way to practice mediumship.
And, of course, there is the unpredictable nature of going to someone's home. I would try to set up the group for success, explaining that mediumship is a healing modality, not just for entertainment. I’d ask that they not be drinking alcohol before we begin and that they ensure everyone present is open to mediumship and open to receiving a reading.
You might have guessed by now I no longer offer this as a service.
I have been in the same wonderful homes and been treated very generously by clients, but I have also been asked to set up in basements or corners of the house that felt off, been mildly heckled, and on one occasion, screamed at by a guest who had too much to drink. She accused me of “working for the devil.”
Driving up to an unfamiliar house and preparing to open myself to a group of strangers took so much of my energy. Like stepping toward the edge of a cliff, the fear of the unknown overtook me.
When I would arrive at one of these gigs, I’d sit in the driveway and take a few deep breaths. I’d repeat this mantra: “I am not only willing to fail, but I am willing to fail and try again.” For a while, these words boosted my confidence and let me surrender to whatever was in store for me.
But it wasn’t quite right. I can see now that in those early days, I was still putting all of the burden onto myself. I needed to be good enough. I was willing to fail.
And it wasn’t about me.
This doesn't just relate to mediumship. When we are being creative or working with intuitive arts, we are never alone. We can always ask for help from Spirit, and we should leave room for the divine.
I began to sit with my spirit team and ask them for help.
They showed me an image of myself suspended high on a mountainside. I looked down to see my toes wiggling over the edge.
Then, my guide placed her arms underneath my shoulders, securely holding me under each armpit. I felt completely tethered, so much so that I could lean over the edge. “We will never let you fall,” she whispered. I completely relaxed into the hold.
This is what it's like to know that your spirit team is with you. We can never do mediumship by ourselves, no matter what happens in practice or what difficult lessons we learn when we get up to work in collaboration with the Spirit World, they are holding us.
They will never let go.
If we can believe that and feel it, we can relax into that power and feel like we are flying. When I need to, I close my eyes and remember that feeling of being held, guaranteed not to be let go.
Now, my mantra is not so much words but sensation. I experience telepathic communication with my spirit team that can be felt, a static sound, a ball of lifegiving energy sent from my heart to the spirit world. If I were to put it into words, it might sound like, “I am here. I surrender. You have all of me; let’s do this together.”
I know that this level of surrender and being held does not only exist for mediums or spiritual practitioners. That is simply when it shows up for me. My work is important enough to me that I need support because I am afraid of it not going well. This is when I need to know that I am held.
There are lots of moments in life where I see clients being equally held. Sometimes, they are unaware of it, making the experience less powerful—more stressful for them.
Imagine being held securely by the most powerful hands that will never let you go, but instead, you imagine yourself teetering up there on the edge without support, vulnerable to the wind. Believe me, the knowing brings comfort. You are still afraid, but it’s easier to surrender.
When you are getting ready to take a leap of faith, the spirit world is there, holding you.
You might not feel it in the moment before you leap. When you are going back and forth, deciding if it’s worth it, it’s easy to become overwhelmed with anxious anticipation. Once you leap, they will step in, but you’ve got to initiate it. You must take both feet off the ground for that leap.
Sometimes we have to act without knowing the outcome, decide to trust.
We decide the discomfort of what is, is greater than the discomfort of whatever lies ahead. The feeling of groundlessness is terrifying, but anything worth having requires a risk.
Risk is like the magic fairy dust that elevates your life.
Taking a leap of faith can look different for everyone.
A leap of faith can look like:
Saying, “I love you”,
moving across the country,
learning something new,
deciding to try online dating,
speaking up for yourself,
quitting something that’s not working,
getting involved in local politics,
adopting a dog,
breaking up with them,
showing how vulnerable you feel,
starting therapy,
going back to school,
setting the boundary or
taking a solo vacation.
When we dare to risk, to take both feet off the ground, for that moment, we are suspended — we are in the act of saying YES to the universe.
Have faith that you are held, that the universe will smile and whisper “yes” right back to you.
You are never more supported by your spirit team, by your intuition, by the living universe than you are in these moments of groundlessness. No matter who you are or what your circumstances are, you will never be more loved than you are right now.
Their love is unconditional, and their intelligence is unlimited.
May you breathe and relax into that love, knowing you can not fall.
With love,
Sheryl
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“This is what it's like to know that your spirit team is with you. We can never do mediumship by ourselves, no matter what happens in practice or what difficult lessons we learn when we get up to work in collaboration with the Spirit World, they are holding us. They will never let go.”
I needed this reminder so badly and this newsletter encapsulates so much about what I love about your work — a soft, gentle, Sheryl-shaped reminder to trust in the magic around me 🪄
I LOVE YOU!!!