My first Psychic Reading of my Future

At fifteen I went by train with a group of my workmates for my first psychic reading. We each had to take along an uncooked egg and I think the cost of the reading was five shillings.  

Having a fertile, unrestrained imagination I had visions of what we would find. The inner city dwelling where we were to be would be ramshackle, overgrown. The medium would have a wart on her long, thin nose, looking exactly like any of the witches I had read about in my fairy stories while a black cat, her familiar, would watch us from the door.

In reality the home was neat and tidy. Inside lived the medium, her elderly husband and two tabby cats. With a rosy cheeks and broad Scottish accent she looked like what she was, a sprightly grandmother with a sense of humour and a twinkle in her eye. Each consultation was done one at a time in the bedroom. Those waiting talked amongst themselves and chatted to the old man.

I have a suspicious mind and didn’t want any hints about me given to the medium I’ll call Mrs Scott, so I insisted on going first. Placing the uncooked egg carefully on the side table I sat facing Mrs Scott.

Even though I had attendedSpiritualistChurchreadings of various types I didn’t have any previous experience with private consultations with mediums and was concerned that she might tell me something horrible and scary. Well, I needn’t have worried.

Firstly Mrs Scott told me of many things in my past to validate her credentials. Then in discussing  future events she told me I would meet a man from over the seas who I would marry and we would have two children. Breaking   the raw egg over a glass of water she carefully separated the yolk from the white. The yolk went into a dish and the white went into the water. The formation of the white of the egg was extra divination. 

‘See, there you are standing in your long, white wedding dress outside the church. You will be married as a bride in white.’

I didn’t see anything in the cloudy streaks but didn’t want to say so. Instead, I nodded sagely and hoped I made the appropriate responses. That finished my reading and as I joined the others in the parlour one of my friend’s took my place with Mrs Scott.

On the way back to the city in the train we excitedly talked about our  messages. Apparently we were all to be married. Good news for impressionable teenagers brought up on romantic novels andHollywoodmovies about the love life of dashing heroes and beautiful heroines.  It was never mentioned, nor was it part of our reality at the time that romantic love is not always everlasting and there may be more than one marriage for us.

I did meet and marry my man from over the seas. He came fromHollandand and we did have two children. I also married in a church in a long, white dress.

Attending My First Seance

When I was a young teenager decades ago I attended my first seance. It was vastly different  to many of  today’s  contacts with spirits.

The meeting was held in an old  semi detached stone double story home owed by an elderly English lady who was  the medium. My uncle attended her meetings every week and was friendly with her. I  don’t remember her name so will refer to her as Miss Brown.

Miss Brown, a gentle, friendly lady looked very much like my grandmother. Smooth, almost wrinkle free skin, rosy cheeks, sparkling blue eyes and soft pale-grey hair that was like a halo framing her round face. She was dressed in a neat floral dress and mauve cardigan. A vegetarian, Miss Brown cooked most of her food in olive oil, both concepts quite radical for the Australia I was familiar with at the time. 

The room the séance was held in was the parlour, a ground floor room at the front of the house. We went in and joined the dozen or so other people who were already seated on the circle of chairs facing a  large gold cross in the centre.  A gas fire was burning in the grate nearby and I sat with my back to it. On the wall facing me was a large print of Jesus, and other men in robes I did not recognise. Once we were all seated, Miss Brown started the service with a prayer  and we sang some hymns. One  being sung was  “God be with us till we meet again.”

Then it was time for the séance and the main light was switched off. The only lighting in the room now was the feeble flame from the tiny grate and from the street light shining through the lace curtains covering the long rectangular window. Miss Brown said a prayer to welcome any spirits who might wish to join us. I was scared and as everyone bowed their head in welcome I was busy praying to God not to let anything come near me or touch me. If anything does God, I silently prayed. They’ll have a spirit in the room alright. Mine, as I die of fright!

Well, nothing did come and touch me although I did feel at one stage as if something had glided past my back. Whether it was an over fertile imagination I would not like to say but spirits did visit and gave advice through Miss Brown to some of the group who left the meeting happy and convinced that they had been in contact with departed loved ones.

 

A Strange Experience with an iPhone.

I was with a small group of women at a meeting. While we waited for others to arrive the convener gave her iPhone to one of the group to look at the image on the screen. We were then each handed the phone and asked what we thought of the image. It was clear image of a man’s lower half photographed and standing straight, facing the photographer. The male wore black boots, knee length denim shorts and had hairy legs. We had no idea who he was or why the photo was taken. Neither had the owner of the iPhone.

 

The woman said she had been sitting on end of a lounge in her lounge room. Her husband was the only other person there and their television set was switched off. The couple had been looking at recent photos taken on the iPhone and as the woman reached to take it back from her husband she heard it click. Wondering what her ‘oops’ photo was she was surprised to find the part image of the man we were now looking at. Her question to us was how was it possible to photograph a person not seen in the room and did we know who the image was? We had no idea and were as mystified as the woman.

Astral (Out-of-body) Travelling With my Brother, John.

One night, aged about sixteen,  I had what appeared to be a colourful dream. In it my brother John and I were on one of the small Sydney Harbour ferries that carried passengers the short distance from Morts Dock to the city of Sydney.

We were the only people on board and the ferry was sinking fast. Not wanting to go into the murky dark green water of the harbour we hurried together toward   the stern  of the upstairs deck. There was a flagpole there and I climbed up this. John tried to follow me onto it.

Fearing the weight from the both of us it would break the flagpole and we would end up in the water I kept putting my foot on John’s head to push him off. Eventually he saw the futility of his efforts and the last I saw of him was as he swam away to somewhere else and out of my dream.

When John came out for breakfast I told him I had a dream about him. He then said ‘yes, he had also had a dream about me too.’ He then jokingly said he had a complaint about my treatment of him in it. When we shared the dream it was exactly the same experience up until he swam off.

As I became more aware of out-of-body travels I realised this, and others experienced with people known to me are not dreams like I once thought they were.

A Surprise Experience with Astral Travelling.

One night I woke to a strange scene. I was in my bedroom and the light was like a twilight. I assumed it must be near dawn. Everything in the room was clear, as it should be but as if  being seen through layers of  pink and blue fine netting making my vision seen through  pink and blue spots.   Strangely, but not disturbingly, I could also see in all directions at once. Sides, back, front, it was weird but while unusual to me, not confusing.

 Then I looked toward the double bed my husband and I shared. Lying on his side of the bed was Abe, that was okay. Lying next to him was another woman. That was not okay and it shocked me. Who was this harlot in bed with my husband? While she slept I scrutinised her. She was lying on her back, comatose, so if I kept quiet I could get a good look at her without waking either Abe or her up. I would make a decision  on what to do after that.  

Derisively I saw her scruffy long brown hair was all entangled over the pillow. Her jaw was slack and open making her face sag. She was not a pretty picture, I thought. Oh, Abe, I wondered, if you have to have an affair can’t you do better than that?

Who was she? A neighbour I had never met? One of their guests who was visiting? Highly unlikely, I thought. Where would Abe have got the time to meet her?  I moved forward to get a better look so I could identify her later. 

Startled, I recognised the person as someone I knew very well. She was me! This person lying next to my husband was my physical body and I was having a conscious out-of-body experience. The realisation caused me to enter my body, but I don’t remember how I did it, and I just woke straight away.

It was midnight and still dark. Gone was the twilight light that I learned later was astral light. Gone also were the pink and blue spots. Abe continued sleeping on unaware of my interesting experience.

A Visit to the Summerland Where I Met the Spirit of my Grandfather.

The first awareness of my grandfather in spirit I had was in my early teens. Asleep, but astral travelling I had gone to a beautiful garden somewhere. There were pink roses growing up a white trellis nearby and lots of people all seemed to be meeting and greeting loved ones. Everyone was so happy at this gathering place.

Then I saw my grandfather, looking the picture of wellbeing, with twinkling eyes and skin radiating a healthy glow.  He held his arms out to give me a hug, just as he had always done. I could see he was very pleased to see me but  my feeling was so emotional with the overwhelming happiness and love felt on seeing him that I started to sob. Unfortunately this caused me to quickly re-enter my physical body lying on my bed and I woke up still sobbing from the enormous loss felt.  

I found out later from spiritual teachings that this meeting place does exist and is called “The Summerland.” It is a of finer level that interpenetrates the physical level and   where people astral travel in sleep to meet with loved ones who have passed on.

When I refer to astral travel it is another, older name for and out-of-body experience. I don’t remember going to the Summerland again but I don’t need to. My grandfather knows when I need his support and comes to me at these times. I see him with my inner vision and sometimes smell his tobacco and am so grateful he visits me.

Peggy’s Premonition.

I was about ten years old when my grandfather died unexpectedly in hospital after an operation. It was a great shock  to us all but we knew my grandfather had passed on before we received the news from the hospital because his normally quiet little black and white terrier, Peggy, sat in the street and howled and howled. No one could quieten her.

Other examples throughout my life have shown me that animals are often times more perceptive to the unseen realms than many of us are. Perhaps it is because we are so busy living in the sensory world we fail to acknowledge the unseen realms that interpenetrate our own.

Much later, I became aware that my grandfather, as patriarch of our family when he was alive, continues his role as a protector and is always there in my times of  emotional need. It was only after my spiritual sight had developed enough that I was able to see him and truly know and accept that when a bond of love unites souls nothing, not even physical death can sever the connection.