Although I am sure you are very keen to start, before you go any further, it may be useful to familiarise yourself with some of the terms used by mediums, psychics, and Spiritualists.

Aura:An aura is something we all have, and this is backed up by scientific evidence. It once was questionable, as Auras are usually invisible to the naked eye, but with the invention of Kirlian photography, which catches the aura on film, it is now proven. The aura is fact not fiction. The aura is made up of colours and surrounds the body, the etheric body,  in a sort of egg shape.

The average person does not see it, but a psychic can learn how to see it with practise. The colours shimmer, pulsate and change according to how the body and mind is reacting to outside influences. Some mediums can also read auras. They can tell you a lot about what is going on in and around your life, by studying your aura and its colours. Objects too have auras.

Circle or Psychic Circle:A circle is made when a group of people get together to practise their psychic and mediumistic skills. A group often work best when sitting in a circle, as each person can be seen by all, making communication between each other much easier. Anyone can attend an open circle at a Spiritualist church; it is a good place to learn more about psychics and mediumship and improve ones abilities.

Clairaudience (clear hearing): Some mediums have the gift of hearing voices or words within the head, that cannot be heard by the psychically undeveloped person. Again, it can be used by the medium when developed to a high degree, in order to pass information on to a sitter, from the spirit entities and loved ones on the higher side of life. It can be a bit like being a switchboard operator.

Clairsentience (clear sensing): This is another psychic gift used by mediums. It allows the medium to sense or feel things, including pain and emotion, which are communicated from loved ones in the spirit world.

Clairvoyance (clear seeing): The ability to see images, pictures, and even spirits with the third eye: a place in the centre of the brow that is invisible to the naked eye. When the third eye is well developed the medium can utilise it to help give proof of life after death.

Development Circle: In a development circle one learns how to develop psychic awareness. Such circles are usually held at a Spiritualist church, but can be held at a private home by an experienced medium. It is not advisable to attend another development circle whilst you are learning to develop from this book.

Spiritual tutors have defined their own ways of developing and sometimes they are incompatible with others, and this would only cause confusion. That said, it is okay to attend Spiritualist open circles and practise your skills, as there is no teaching happening when the circle is open to all. So, as long as you learn the rules of opening and closing, as explained later, the open circle can be a good experience.

Life After Death: When we human beings die, our body is no longer needed, hence the need for burial or cremation, but our spirit or soul moves on to the spirit world to carry on its intended existence. This process is often referred to as Transition, but in fact it is our life after this life. Once transition has taken place, the spirit carries on with its progression  and evolvement to a higher spiritual plane.

Medium:A medium, is someone who has developed their own psychic ability to such a degree that they have become aware of an ability to communicate with spirit entities and loved ones who have passed over to the sprit world. Mediumship is not an inherent gift, though it is possible to develop dormant skills. This book will teach you how.

Private Sitting: If a person wishes to receive a one-to-one message from a medium, they can book a private sitting. This can of course be free of charge, but most often there is a fee. We all have to live and finance our homes and offices, and mediums are no exception, so most have to charge. Not many people will or are able, to work for nothing.

At such a private sitting, you would expect to be given proof of life after death. This would involve being given evidence from a loved one of yours who has passed to the higher side of life. Information not previously known to the medium. This should prove that your loved ones were here on the earth plane and are still watching over you even now.

Psychic: A psychic is someone who uses senses that the average person is unaware of. We all have these psychic senses which are invisible, but which can be develop to a high degree with time and effort. Smell, taste, touch, sight, and hearing, are all physical senses of which we are all aware because we see evidence of them all the time, and indeed take them for granted. Unless you are a Spiritualist, or mix with those who use the psychic senses, you are probably unaware of them.

Psychometry: A sitter gives you a personal item to hold in order for you to give information about the past of the object and its owner. All things hold vibrations or data which has been left on them over time. Pure silk is the only item I know of that holds no vibrations, hence the reason Tarot readers keep their cards wrapped in it.

The reader holds the item and lets their psychic centres take in as much information as possible. It is a bit like being a sponge and soaking up the vibrations and then relating them to the sitter.

Psychic Art:A psychic artist is someone who has the gift of being able to see a spirit entity and draw them, usually at the same time as giving clairvoyance. Sometimes, a second medium is in attendance to add to the clairvoyance.

A famous Psychic Artist was the late Coral Polge, who was a well respected Spiritualist. Coral, did drawings which were said to be very accurate and the clairvoyant proof she added made the sitting more than interesting.

Sitter: A sitter is someone who ‘sits’ with a medium or psychic, either in a circle or privately, in order to receive a ‘message’ or reading from them.

Spiritualist Closed Circle: A closed circle is just for those invited along, private. It is usually open only to church members.

Spiritualist Open Circle: An open circle is usually held at a Spiritualist Church. People sit in a circle with others who are hoping to communicate with someone in the spirit world. You may get a message from an experienced person or from a novice. You could also go to such a circle to practise your own newly developed psychic gifts.

Transition: Our ‘death’ is just a transitory phase from this life to the next, it is in fact a continuation of our existence. We have come from the spirit world, it is our home, and at our earthly death we return to the spirit world. Taking our transition is almost like passing through a door into another dimension. Only a thought away.

Vibrations: Are what he psychic or medium ‘reads’ when one has a sitting. Such vibrations can contain information about the sitter, and their life.

Those of you who read this blog regularly, will know how I feel very strongly that these are indeed two different events.  The ghost replaying the same trauma over and again, draws the attention of the public, who seem to become aware of it at the same time of day or night on each occasion.

You will hear people say things like:  ‘it walks through that wall every night on midnight’!  Or ‘ it rides on a horse across that road at 10pm each night’!  And so forth. These are sightings of ghosts. They are images trapped in time. Not spirits trying to haunt.

When it is spirits, they  draw close to prove that there really is a continuation of the human consciousness and therefore, life after death.  The spirit will not only bring comfort but will bring advice and give a brief history of their earthly existence.  Some more than others of course.

For communication with spirits you usually need a medium. The medium will sit and wait for a spirit to ‘come through’. They cannot call one up.

Communication with a spirit is just that. A communication. You cannot have communication with a ghost. As I have said, it is just an image trapped in time.  Haunted houses should not really scare you or anyone.

Think logically about this subject and you will soon see the difference.

In traditional belief, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely: The mode of manifestation can range from an invisible presence to translucent or wispy shapes, to realistic, life-like visions. The deliberate attempt to contact the spirit of a dead person is known as spiritism as a seance.

The belief in manifestations of the spirits of the dead is widespread, dating back to ancestor worship. Certain religious practices, funeral rites, exorcisms, and some practices of spiritualism and ritual magic, are specifically designed to appease the spirits of the dead. Ghosts are generally described as solitary essences that haunt particular locations, objects, or people they were associated with in life, though stories of the phantom armies, ghost trains, phantom ships, and even ghost animals and numbers have also been recounted.

He has found quite a few places to go around the Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, and Derbyshire countryside.  He has also made a few friends with like minds. These are people who are fed up with being duped.  So, together, they spend at least one day or night a week in pursuit of haunted places.

They go armed with cameras and recorders, but have found the best equipment to be their own senses. They have become in tune with their own sixth senses and find it very useful. When approaching areas of interest they feel tingling sensations, get cold shivers, or the hairs on the back of their necks stand on end. They notice cold spots and areas where the birds are quiet. They compare thoughts and feelings to see if they are all getting the same sensations and they trust each other, and no one is stage managing the events.

They are very interested in orbs, which from time to time appear on photos they have taken whilst walking in dark woods. They may appear up in the trees or out in the open or on high. There seems, as yet, no rhyme or reason why they see them or what they are.  Some are white and some have a blue hue to them. Some appear to have what looks almost like a face in their centre.

If orbs are a naturally occurring event they will find out, and if not they will keep on searching. A search for the truth can be a lifetime’s work…

Sometimes a spirit loved one may be trying to catch the attention of someone.  They may try to move objects or make noises to do this.  Sometimes they can makes lights flicker or turn them off. Maybe you have one who turns on taps or moves specific objects that they know you will notice.

It is always the loud noises that scare people the most. Especially when it is dark. You try to convince yourself that its just the old house settling!  Or maybe a huge draught of air has knocked something over. But when you have checked everything out, you may not be so sure.

If you think it is a loved spirit then you can ask questions and tell them to give you a sign that it is really them.  You may be happy to have them around. After all they can do you no harm and you may find it sort of comforting.  You may like to enlist the help of a medium to try to communicate with the spirit, to find out just who they really are.

But what if its none of these? What if you keep hearing noises in the night? What if taps are turning on? What if you hear whispering?  What if someone is playing around with your electrical items?  Maybe your home has a spirit that you dont know anything about? Is your radio turning on and off as if by its own accord?

Strangely, as I am writing this, I am hearing taps on my wall. Definite tapping. In fact two definite knocks!!!  I offered up ‘Bless you’, but I have had no other response yet. Someone knows what I am writing about!!!  It is not night time and the sun is streaming in,  so no need to feel its scary. But there is someone here with me now, I am certain of this.

Your spirit may just be someone who belongs to the house or even to the ground on which your house is built. If your house is not old, or if you are the only family who ever lived in it, it may be that a more ancient building was on the site where you now live.  Maybe the spirit who is going bump in the night or rapping on your wall is actually from another time. Some place in history.

You can always investigate and find out what was there before you and your home. It may be that a very old spirit is trying to contact you.  Do some detective work and see what you can find out.  You may be very surprised and may find it very rewarding.

Spirits don’t torment us for fun you know. If they are trying to communicate, then it is always for a good reason and a purpose.  I am hearing another tap on my wall. There is nobody else here but me. I think someone is reading over my shoulder!!!  I know I have a vistor but then I am used to spirits.

Is there anybody there???

RESCUE CIRCLES are sometimes formed by Spiritualists in order to help the dead by freeing them from their earthbound state. The idea being that earthbound spirits are unable to go to the light and progress to the spirit world without the help of us mortals.

The souls are understood to be trapped on the material plane. Supposedly, they do not realise they are dead. The sitters in the circle, mediums and their circle members, offer prayers and guide the spirit through the light on their way to a higher existence.

As a medium with many years experience, I have never come across a spirit who has needed my humble help to go to the light, and thus to their intended place in the spirit world. I am not afraid to admit it either.

I know I am not the only medium who feels this way. Surely it is the job of the deceased’s guardian angel, or spirit guide, to guide them back to the home from whence they once came.

Yes, I know that when a person has a violent or tragic passing, they will need time to get used to the fact they have passed. Whereas a person who has been ill for a while will be a little more prepared spiritually. But, that still doesn’t mean that their guide or guardian angel cannot lead them to the light.

I personally, am not so arrogant as to believe I can do what spirits cannot.

There are many ‘Ghost Busting’ or ‘Haunting Nights’ being held across the country at ancient sites and old properties.  There are also popular TV  programmes which delve into the ‘unknown’!  Ask any potential ghost buster just what he or she expects to see at the events and it differs greatly.

Some say that they fully expect to see a ghost whilst at the ghost busting event,  as that is what they believe the event is for.  Others think that they will see things moving of their own accord, such as tables raising up and smaller items floating in mid air.

Ask what they think ghosts are, and this varies too. Lots of these seekers seem to believe that every spirit who has left their material body, is able to haunt places and appear at will. Others think it is only the ‘troubled’ souls who stay around to haunt and scare people.  Some kind of vengeance perhaps!

The simplest explanation to me is that a ghost is an image trapped in time. When people say they have seen the ‘white lady’ or the ‘small child crying’, the event is usually relayed in exactly the same way, with the same descriptions, by all those who say they witnessed it, every time. There is usually no variation in the event.

It came through the wall and floated over to the other wall before disappearing into it….

The room went cold and there was a bad feeling or bad smell in the air when the ghost appeared and did her usual thing, whilst carrying an object….

It appears at the side of the road sometimes at 2am and floats across as though the road was not there, doing the same thing each time….

My belief is that the reason the image is trapped in time, is because of a violent and unexpected passing, the shock of which somehow causes the effect to make an imprint upon this earthly plane. Spirits who pass over to the Spirit World in the usual manner do not seem to go in for haunting.

My experiences are usually of  spirits of loved ones, who are wanting to let us know they are watching over us, and to give us reassurance at difficult times in our lives. They can communicate to us via a medium and bring messages of love, not scaring us or haunting our homes as this would achieve little. I don’t call them ghosts. They are spirits.

Poltergeists are different altogether and I will discuss this subject in another post. Neither spirit nor ghosts.

They also dealt with the subject of the sixth sense, clairvoyance, second sight etc very well indeed. Hats off to them.  No one could have done it better.

If you wanted to explain all about mediums you could simply take along your friends to the cinema or rent the video.  You cannot go wrong with this wonderful film.  – Can you tell I like it?

What stands out most is the natural way it as all dealt with. And here is my point.  Your sixth sense is natural! We all have it and it is there for us all to tap into naturally.  All we have to do is choose to develop it.

The sixth sense is not paranormal, it is natural!  It is not about ghosts and ghoulies.  It is about knowing and feeling and forever being aware of our loved ones. What a wonderful gift our maker gave us.

It is never too late to see the film and never too late to develop your sixth sense. At least look into it and find out a bit more about the subject. This is a good place to start. My blog covers most topics of the psychic and spiritual nature. Good luck with your journey of discovery.

There are differences between these phenomena. Lets take a look at ghosts first.  Ghosts are the images of people trapped in time, from the moment of their violent and unexpected death.  They are neither spirit nor people. Just images. You will know the difference because they are always seen in the same place, doing the same thing, at the same time of day or night.

Poltergeist. This is neither person nor spirit. It is psychic energy running amok because someone is building up the energy and not making good use of it. This is usually a person with a troubled mind. Often it is a pubescent and troubled child.  They don’t realise they are building up this psychic energy and often think they must be evil. Others around them may think the person is evil too.

Teaching the troubled person how to use up their psychic energy for a good reason is often all that is needed.  A little understanding from those around them helps too.

Naughty spirits!  Well, are they really naughty, or do they just want your attention?  Maybe a spirit loved one wants to communicate with you and you are oblivious to the fact. The spirit may try to move around objects and make noises in your home to make you aware of them.  Then maybe you will contact a medium and have a really much needed conversation.

So you see. All is not what it seems to be. But if you have any troubling occurrences in your home then please let me know.  Maybe I can help. You can email me at the contact ink at the top of this page.

He has found quite a few places to go around the Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, and Derbyshire countryside.  He has also made a few friends with like minds. These are people who are fed up with being duped.  So, together, they spend at least one day or night a week in pursuit of haunted places.

They go armed with cameras and recorders, but have found the best equipment to be their own senses. They have become in tune with their own sixth senses and find it very useful. When approaching areas of interest they feel tingling sensations, get cold shivers, or the hairs on the back of their necks stand on end. They notice cold spots and areas where the birds are quiet. They compare thoughts and feelings to see if they are all getting the same sensations and they trust each other, and no one is stage managing the events.

They are very interested in orbs, which from time to time appear on photos they have taken whilst walking in dark woods. They may appear up in the trees or out in the open or on high. There seems, as yet, no rhyme or reason why they see them or what they are.  Some are white and some have a blue hue to them. Some appear to have what looks almost like a face in their centre.

If orbs are a naturally occurring event they will find out, and if not they will keep on searching. A search for the truth can be a lifetime’s work…