To be honest, it was only two hours with the Firefly Mediums,
but since co-author, Gloria Ferris and I have vivid imaginations, it seemed
longer.
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| Wellington County Museum, Fergus, Ontario |
Gloria has attended sessions by Mediums before but
I was a newbie and must admit, leaning towards skepticism. After introducing
themselves, Catherine Graham and Janice Moffat explained that if they swear in
communicating messages from spirits, it is not them saying it. This harvested
chuckles---easing tension in the room from people like me.
In preparation for the readings, we were asked to
close our eyes; take deep breaths as if meditating; and concentrate on who we
would like to hear from in the spirit world. Catherine and Janice took turns
describing the age and appearance of the spirit coming through to them before asking
if any of us knew who was coming through to the Medium. If more than one person
thought they recognized the deceased, each Medium concentrated to provide details
to narrow down who, the spirit might be trying to contact. This process, in
itself, was quite entertaining. When Catherine described a very hot young man
wearing a leather jacket, both Gloria and I tried to claim knowing him.
After Catherine described communicating with a
“grandmotherly type” wearing high heels and a gold pant suit, similar to what
one of the women in, “Golden Girls” would wear, Gloria elbowed me. I hesitantly
raised my hand in case my mother was trying to send a message from the great
beyond. Catherine approached me and asked
some questions in order to explain what she said the spirit was trying to
communicate by words and what was described as miming actions. My knee jerk
reaction was that these comments were general enough to fit many people. However,
a couple of comments and messages later caused me to rethink my opinion of the
validity of Mediums contacting spirits.
As I pondered this experience over the next few days, I admit to making
a mental adjustment of my skepticism over spirit readings, down several notches.
Observing responses from many audience members to
the spirit messages conveyed to them was a moving experience for me. I doubt
that a hired professional actor could have displayed such authentic emotional
responses running the spectrum from belly laughter to physical shaking and sobbing,
and tear-filled acknowledgement of the messages received from people who have
passed.
One of the messages I found particularly amusing was
that someone’s grandfather who, in life, enjoyed working with tires continues to
do so in his afterlife. Several people were assured by their spirit contact, “I’m
still around you.” A comment that could be comforting but then again, maybe
not.
At the close of the evening, Catherine and Janice invited
audience questions. My account of this open forum is somewhat fuzzy, but three
questions did cement themselves into my memory.
Q: The Mediums were asked
if they hear voices in their mind or is it as if a spirit is beside you
talking?
A: Voices are heard in our
minds, and we see images of spirits, and sometimes symbols.
Q: What type of symbols?
A: Catherine said she sees
daffodils and early on, assumed that was an indication from a spirit about the
time of year being spring. Later, she realized that was the symbol of cancer
from her spirit guides. She often see the symbol of a tree with a broken limb
if a spirit is encouraging a family member to make amends if there is a breach
of contact between some family members.
Q: Can you turn off the
chatter from spirits at will?
A: Definitely. And they
respect our request.
We were told that both Mediums do readings for individuals
as well as groups. I have grappled with how
to interpret the reading I received that evening. Has my initial skepticism
changed? I believe it has to some
degree. Perhaps, a second session will clarify my take on this puzzling
experience.
Catherine and Janice made the session interesting,
fun to observe, and entertaining --- not an easy task given that at times, the subject
matter conveyed caused individuals to cry and me to fight tears. I’m glad I
forced myself to participate in something that was out of my comfort zone and
broaden my knowledge about a subject I would normally shy away from. Who knows, maybe scenes from what I observed will
find their way into one of my future fiction stories.
Contact information and
an excerpt from the Firefly Mediums’ web site follows.
When We Lose a Loved One…
It can be hard to move on when we
lose a loved one. Sometimes we are caught in our grief, sometimes
we are filled with anger…. most times we are uncertain that they are okay, or
that we didn’t say enough to let them know how much we loved them.
With Firefly Mediums, you have
the opportunity to connect with your loved ones in an evening of love, healing,
understanding, laughing and moving forward. Connecting you with
your loved ones, Firefly Mediums bring forward messages of hope, support and
the trust that your loved ones are still with you.
Janice Moffat and Catherine
Graham have been giving group readings as a unit since 2017, for groups as
small as 30 and as large as 75. Working together, they are able to
bring forward the messages that you need to hear in a safe, loving and often
humorous way. http://www.fireflymediums.com/
2 comments:
What an interesting experience! Not just for writers but obviously on a personal level for so many people.
Yes, it certainly was, Cheryl.
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