If you’ve chosen a path that feels different from others, you’re likely following your soul’s calling. If you feel like you don’t fit into the world as it is, perhaps that’s because you’re here to create a new one.
Looking around and seeing pain, despair, and cruelty, but also so much beauty, kindness, and joy, is a sign you are awake. The world needs your uniqueness.
And uniqueness isn’t something that you need to develop—it’s already within you. Your job is to open it up, let it unfold—follow your desires and curiosity.
I was recently discussing with a student how we each have a unique perspective on mediumship. Yet, there are teachers, like in every field, who teach it only their way. Demanding and creating a brand of mediumship. Believing they know best to the point where you can spot their students by the language they use and how they conduct themselves.
Mediumship can be like art. Not everyone agrees on who can make art, how it should be presented, what’s offensive, and what even qualifies as art. And then there is the question, who is qualified to critique it? and to teach it?
You’ve got to do things your own way. Yes, even if and especially when what you’re doing has been done before. When there seems to be a clear way forward, you might be thinking, who am I to step off this well-beaten path? It might feel reckless, ridiculous, and self-indulgent. But, sometimes, it is the only way.
I went to a seminar on the ethics of mediumship a few years ago, and the teacher shared his frustration about how “everyone is a medium now.” Sigh. The seminar was taught by a well-respected medium, an older white man, who lamented that back in the day, you could only call yourself a medium if a qualified person told you you were. That’s right, there were a handful of tutors from the same backgrounds and circumstances, mostly white British men, who could bestow you with the title of a medium. Otherwise, you were considered a fraud.
It’s easy to see how limiting, unjust, and stale this could be. Not to mention soul-crushing if you happened to be on the wrong side of this elite group of tutors.
A select few held all the power and control over who got to practice mediumship. They decided who could earn a living using their natural talents and abilities. This is not so different from any other field. I think it strikes me as particularly harmful, though, because mediumship is not regulated, and if you’ve chosen the path as a professional, you’re already up against so much scrutiny.
Many mediums are closeted about their beliefs and professions. It’s not unusual for someone to tell me that what I do for work is a sin or somehow disparage it. At least once a year, my kids tell me a teacher, friend, or friend’s parent has told them they don’t believe in my profession.
In the next part of the ethics lecture I attended, the instructor began to complain about social media and vent his frustration about how everything is online, complaining, “You used to have to go to a class in person, travel, and make the effort.”
Yikes, so if you weren’t privileged enough to be close to a spiritualist center or have the means to travel, you’re excluded. I appreciated him revealing himself as I sat through the lecture. I thought about myself and all the many diverse and vibrant women I know who have successful spiritual businesses run mostly online. I thought about how it must really piss him off, knowing we are making a living we never got permission for. Good.
I believe that mediums are born, wake up, or begin developing at the right time to meet the needs of the public. I believe we are all connected, and the more of something there is, the better it can be for everyone. The more mediums there are, the more popular it becomes.
Just like there can never be too much art in the world, art inspires art. Mediumship inspires mediumship. Love inspires love. I think it goes without saying that there are more than enough dead people to go around. When you think about the number of people in the spirit world who will never have a voice, never have a chance to communicate with their loved ones or ancestors, it’s astounding. There are billions of people in spirit and maybe thousands of working mediums right now.
I hope mediumship continues to evolve well past the “good old days” and into a diverse future.
I also believe that the more we share as teachers of mediumship and spirituality, the more we receive. I have sat in classes where I have a sense the teacher is holding back knowledge, afraid of their students surpassing them. If you ever find yourself in that situation, my advice would be to run the other way. This leads to an environment of jealousy, resentment, and sometimes outright sabotage.
When you learn from someone, make sure their agenda is to teach freely. If you’re a teacher yourself, the good news is that reciprocity truly is the magic language of the universe. The more you share, the more you get. On this point, I am one hundred percent convinced.
I am a generous teacher, I share all my secrets. Sharing what might be considered trade secrets is a way to make a name for yourself. Many of my students have seen great success in their work, and I take pride and joy in their successes. It’s like having an extended family of mediums and love flowing between you all.
When it comes to what you’re passionate about, especially if it’s outside of the mainstream, you’ve got to get comfortable with breaking some rules. So many are stuck and waiting to really get going until they are exactly like someone else, like waiting to start running a race because your competition has better odds. If you refuse to get going, you’ll end up standing on the sideline, wasting time when you could be making progress. Each time we do this, we miss out on discovering who we are. If you’re not sure where you’re holding back, here’s a clue. It’s usually the thing you couldn’t possibly do because so-and-so would be offended, or it’s just not done that way.
After sitting through that lecture, I began to understand why so many mediums and intuitive folks seem to want permission to practice. There is an undercurrent of resentment from times not so long ago when you needed it.
We say life is short, but it feels long when you’re living in accordance with someone else's rules. We are alive during a time when we don't need anyone's permission to live a life grounded in our purpose. Sometimes, though, we need to give that permission to ourselves.
With love,
Sheryl
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💗💗💗💗 I look forward to your audio notes each week!! Ahhhh!!!
Thank you, friend.