In the Mind of a Medium.

“He’s great.” “I’ve had a reading with him.” “He's the best, book Steven!”

All phrases I hear every day…

…the truth is all these statements make me cringe.

Not because it’s not nice to hear, of course, it’s lovely to hear that people rate your work highly. It’s because with such high expectations comes a massive responsibility to get it right. We are all human and some days I come to work with so much responsibility on my back. The running of the business, being a dad and a husband too.

The work I do is always done with honesty and integrity, and the team who work so closely with me also work the same way. In the very rare circumstances when someone reviews our work in a negative light or emails us to say they didn’t enjoy their reading, my stomach fills with dread. It feels so personal not only to me but the team, because we work from a core value of honesty and integrity, and no matter what we do even if it feels uncomfortable, we must always be honest.

Our team are Seers taking a glance into your future based on the decisions you make in your present. I am a working Medium, as is Claire and Siobhan, meaning we have the responsibility of working closely with the spirit world, so our services are quite different to tea readings.

Working with the spirit world is a massive responsibility.

The role of a Medium is very simple - to prove the existence of the human soul beyond physical death, with proof of the person's character, circumstances surrounding their passing, their life experiences etc.

When I am sitting with a client people often ask me - what happens when you are sitting giving a reading?

First, the preparations before a reading are quite simple.

I sit in a quiet room and ask the spirit world to move closer to me, closer than they have ever come before and I say - these words, “I ask my helpers, guides and own family members to draw close and help me prove the existence of the loved ones of the person I sit with today.”

I then go sit with the person or family and introduce myself and what my role is today - To be a gentle guide and a go between for the persons here and the persons in the spirit world.

My job is to simply prove that they are still there and that any work we do is always experimental and may not work today.

The thing I’m always aware of first is the family’s grief and their expectations. They have someone they want to speak with, and that person is always who they expect first. The reason the shop is set up the way it is so it’s conductive for communication. The customers are relaxed and open as are the spirit world. If everyone’s calm, then the whole process is seamless.

In the right environment when everything has been set up as I described then this is always possible, provided the sitters are in the right place emotionally and the medium pays attention to the subtle energy of the spirit world. It is so important that a medium sees themselves as that gentle guide between the worlds.

Then we must speak about personalities. I am a man who was brought up in a loving environment by my amazing mum who did her best to ensure that we never felt out of place even when her world was falling apart. This made me a man who is completely in alignment with the Yin part of me (feminine) and I can see things from all perspectives, and I genuinely get on very well with everyone for the most part. So, in turn the personalities of people’s loved ones in the spirit world will blend well with mine making me a great channel.

Now if a Medium is judgemental, sees things from one side, hasn’t good values and can be a little blindsided by other things, then they will only be working with a certain type of spirit person, someone who shares those same values in life. This works for some but not for others.

When I am teaching new Mediums on our Diploma course, the first year is always about them working on themselves and very little about giving messages which may be frustrating for some budding Mediums. However, those who aren’t prepared to do this important work aren’t people that should be working as ambassadors for the spirit world.

So, what do I see during a reading? What do I feel?

The truth is many things happen all at once that we might forget. Think of it like you’re starving and go to MacDonald’s grab a quick burger and a diet coke. Do you taste the burger and coke, or does it just fill that hunger? For most, you won’t separate the flavours. Now think about sitting with a cheeseburger, smell the bun, open it up and you're hit with the aroma of sauce, pickle, mustard, and the beef burger. Take a bite and taste the sharpness of the ketchup counteracted by the mustard and the zing of the pickle, then into the juicy patty and soft blanket of the bun. It’s a holistic experience washed down with an ice-cold beverage that satisfies beyond reason.

Mediumship is that burger, it's paying attention and trusting what you’re seeing, smelling, tasting, hearing, even the most subtle changes make the world of difference to the reading.

I feel the energy of them usually on my right shoulder. You know the feeling when someone walks up behind you and places their hand on your shoulder? I then feel the emotions and the connection of who they are… they place words into my mouth and a story unfolds of their history on earth and how they pass. I usually keep my eyes closed as the only confirmation I need is that the information is being understood…. My job is to work with this soul making sure their message is relayed with love and compassion. It’s their job to give me proof beyond doubt that they have survived after physical death.

Usually both the sitter and the spirit person get emotional, as do I, and this wonderful healing takes place. The person walks away with comfort and grief healing. Usually, we will refer people to grief counselors in the form of my wonderful friend Susan Watson if they need more help. The last thing they need is another reading… there’s not much more we can say if it’s done right. It’s my belief that if we can get one wonderful evidential reading then we don’t need another one from that person. I don’t see the same people often, I see different people all the time. Of course, the same person books with me when a new family member passes to spirit, but I reluctantly read for the same people more than once.

So, to get back to the title of this blog ‘In the Mind of a Medium’, my work is first and foremost to heal both sides, to be a counsellor, a friend, a bridge for love to reconnect. As far as the word gift is used, which can be used to describe this work, the gift for me is facilitating this contact with kindness, compassion and humility.

I am humbled and honoured that the spirit world chose me to work for them and help bring on new ambassadors.

So next time you see a Medium work take a moment to think “what is in the mind of this Medium?”

Keep shining

Steven x