Amid the confusion and noise of the passing traffic, I felt a calm presence. My mood was low and I was worrying about various people, places and things. In my internal fog, I walked, my gaze towards the grey cement beneath my feet. Suddenly, I could feel the calm presence urging me to look up.

In front of me I observed the last Fragipani flower resting on a bare grey branch, folorn, and yet somehow strong. Its bleak honesty touched me as I walked by, and it seemed to me it reflected myself, my sense of  ‘aloneness’ in a vast world that demands me – as it does all of us – to perform, to contribute, to give, to ‘be’ something or somebody in contrast to just being.

The exquisite white and yellow flower was a reminder of my own inner beauty and a sign too, of the impending winter. A fresh crisp breeze caressed the air as I contemplated how the Spirit of the Fragapanni tree might be feeling with only one bloom left after a long, hot Mullumbimby Summer.

The first time I hugged a tree, I was sixteen. I remember it clearly. It was a sunny Winter Melbourne day. I was wearing my blue jeans and a long, black hippy coat. Sitting in the picturesque botanical gardens, I was feeling sad and confused about love, as we often are at that age, and quite spontaneously, I hugged a nearby tree.  I whispered to the tree; please help me, please comfort me. Immediately I felt a wave of pure, unadulterated love wash over me and in that special moment there were no words, just a feeling of unspoken compassion and understanding emanating from the tree. It felt so real, I didn’t question it, I just felt grateful. As I walked away, I felt uplifted, reassured and revitalized.

Since then, I’ve been a closet tree hugger and I highly recommend it as a form of therapy!

My recent encounter with the last Fragipanni was a symbol and a reminder that I too can be a light, that there is always beauty to highlight the grey, and that there is contrast for a reason.  Life is a palette of choices and experiences. We are the artists of our lives, creating, dismantling and creating again and again.

I do believe that trees have a spirit, so next time you’re feeling down give a tree a hug, you never know it just might need one too!

Liz Winter is a Medium, Reiki Master/Healer, Angel Therapist, Spiritual Teacher, Dream Coach, Qualified Counsellor.  Liz is based in Mullumbimby. lizwintermedium

You can read her blog here: soultalkwithlizwinter

Catch her on Facebook here: facebook.com/pages/Liz-Winters-Soul-Talk-Page

You can buy her book, For Love of Spirit here: For-Love-Spirit-Medium-Memoir

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Awaking from a most unpleasant dream involving a man with a frightening presence taunting me,  I found myself pinned to the bed, paralysed, unable to move. I immediately called inside myself to Archangel Michael, the angel of protection, for immediate help. Yet still I couldn’t move. I called again, only this time with more gusto and urgency, and withing seconds the icky presence had gone.

We’ve all heard stories of ghostly encounters with the deceased and of houses that had unmistakable spooky presences, and perhaps you have your own stories to tell. I certainly get a lot of emails and calls asking for advice about this subject.

Is it an over active imagination at work or are ghosts for real? When we speak of the Spirit world where the deceased exist, where is it anyway? There is no GPS to guide us there but I believe it is another world, functioning on a higher vibration than earth and within that world there are varying degrees of vibration. Occasionally, our two worlds collide.

Not all presences are unwelcome.  It is common for people to say good bye to their loved ones before they cross over which can be a loving and special experience.

Then you have the Spirits that have unfinished business, are stubborn or attached to things, people or houses which prevents them from crossing over. Perhaps you have visited somewhere that had a strange energy and something has attached itself to you. Apparently, they like hotels and alcohol. I once picked up an old lady spirit after walking through a cemetery. She was not very pleasant but I was able to move her on. If you encounter these types of ghosts, there is no need to fear them, even if they are disturbing. In fact fear is what they feed on. They can be attention seeking, like a child who feels neglected. People are ignoring them and in their confused state, they cannot understand why.

The basic thing to understand is that if you raise the vibration in your environment and your own energy, the undesirable entities will not feel comfortable and will choose to move on.  They often hook into your energy when you are vulnerable, perhaps ill or feeling down. By simply raising the vibration, they can’t exist comfortably and will naturally disappear.

Here are some tips to move them on with the concept of raising vibration:

• Firstly, ask your guides and angels for help and protection and visualise a shield of white light around you
• Even though you may feel a tad silly, talk aloud to them, tell them they have passed on and there is a wonderful place waiting for them.
• Play healing, soothing or classical music. This will lift the vibration making it uncomfortable for them to stay in the same space.
• Light candles, burn oils such as lavender, sandalwood or eucalyptus or burn a sage stick
• Walk around the house slowly and notice if there are any cold spots, if you locate a spot, put the music, candles and oils in that room.
• Place some bowls of water with salt in them in each corner The salt will absorb any negative energy. Throw the water out after a day or so and repeat if it still feels weird.
• Walk around outside the perimeter of your house throwing salt.
• Sage your house and yourself with a sage stick
• Burn sandalwood incense
• Clear you own energy by having a salt bath or scrub (any sort of salt works)
• Program crystals for protection by firstly cleansing them and then projecting protection prayers and thoughts into the crystal. Wear the crystals or place them around the home.
• Balance your chakra centres (try Doreen Virtue’s You Tube chakra balancing meditation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xam4tq_UVEQ
• Call on Archangel Michael

These souls are often confused so send loving thoughts to them but at the same time put down your boundaries and tell them it is not appropriate they stay.

If you don’t feel any improvement after this or you feel uncomfortable dealing with this on your own, enlist the help of a ‘ghost buster’ type clairvoyant.

Remember that you have Spirit Guides and Angels that love you dearly and will always be there to help you but the key is to ask for their help. With a simple request you can unlock unconditional love, light and protection!

Liz Winter is a Medium, Reiki Master/Healer, Angel Therapist, Spiritual Teacher, Dream Coach, Qualified Counsellor.  Liz is based in Mullumbimby. lizwintermedium

You can read her blog here: soultalkwithlizwinter

Catch her on Facebook here: facebook.com/pages/Liz-Winters-Soul-Talk-Page

You can buy her book, For Love of Spirit here: For-Love-Spirit-Medium-Memoir

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Verandah Magazine’s resident psychic, Liz Winter, practises the ancient art of tasseography or tasseomancy, and finds the tea-leaves enticingly mysterious.

Sitting in an open air cafe in Byron Bay recently, I admired the ocean views and thought I saw a dolphin jump out the turquoise water before me.  At that moment the waitress arrived with my cappuccino and unmistakeably the pattern at the top of the coffee looked just like a dolphin.

I wondered if the universe was giving me some sort of personal message or if in fact I was imagining the whole thing.  As I sipped my coffee, wishing that I didn’t have to upset the dolphin image, I began to recall a tea leaf reading I had many years ago. It was on a cool winter day at a Melbourne market and all I could recall was an elderly woman gazing into my almost empty tea cup and remarking that I would live in a sub tropical climate and have two sons – and quite right she was.

Feeling inspired, I began to google tea leaf reading and found that it originated in China, spread to India where the Romney gypsies learned the art and it travelled from there. The term for tea leaf reading is actually called ‘Tasseography’  I found some basic directions how to perform a tea leaf reading and decided to give it a go.  (wikihow.com/Do-Tasseography) seemed a good place to start. A friend also loaned me an ancient tea leaf reading book.

It seems you can read your own tea leaves or for someone else.
Here are some basic directions (although once you start researching, there are many different ideas):
Once you have made a pot of tea and drunk the cup almost to the bottom, the enquirer swishes it around three times with their left hand in an anti-clockwise motion, asking a specific question if desired. Otherwise just swish, allowing the tea leaves to move around the cup.
Next, turn the cup upside down and turn it three times in an anti-clockwise direction.
Turn the cup upright and see what symbols you can see – the first symbol you see is apparently the most significant. The handle of the cup represents the enquirer, so the tea leaves near the handle pertain to the enquirer and the tea leaves opposite pertain to people in the inquirer’s life. The leaves closer to the rim of the cup represent the present or near future, whereas the leaves down the bottom are further in the future.
A symbol chart for tea leaves can be found at wikihow.com.Tea-Leaf-Symbols-List
Inspired by all this knowledge, I went out and bought a packet of tea leaves, I found them on the bottom shelf at the local supermarket – I guess we live in a tea bag world these days!

I hurried home and made a pot of tea. I followed all the instructions but when it came to the moment of reading my cup…all I could see was tea leaves! However, I didn’t let that dampen my spirits, and at the next psychic development class I taught, I made it the topic of the day. We all read each other’s tea cups and had lots of fun.  And I have to say I got a much better reading from my students than I could have given myself.

If tea is not your thing, next time you are having a cappuccino with a friend, swap cups at the end and see what you can see, the patterns the froth leaves in your coffee cup are full of stories.

Bottoms Up!

You can contact Liz Winter on:  Lizwintermedium.com

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Verandah Magazine’s resident psychic and Reiki master Liz Winter ponders the eternal question of how to let the day’s frustrations go so sleep can arrive.

As I began to drift into sleep, fragments of my day danced in my mind in the form of random thoughts and momentary visions. The saleswoman in the sandwich bar who looked distressed; my son complaining about his dinner; the dog barking and upsetting the neighbours; the snake I saw slowly crossing the warm tarred road causing me to brake suddenly .

As I tossed and turned and adjusted my pillows, I felt frustrated – fatigue engulfed me and yet I couldn’t sleep and it seemed as if it would never arrive. I called out to my Spirit Guides and Angels for help and advice and I clearly heard the words, ‘clear your energy’ Could it be that simple?  My logical mind began to analyse their suggestion and I had to admit it made perfect sense.

We all have an invisible antenna that constantly monitors and absorbs the energy around us, whether we do it consciously or not. Human beings are sensitive and we often subliminally take on other people’s feelings, thoughts and vibrations. At the end of a busy day, taking these vibrations to bed with us is not conducive to a sound nights sleep.

That night I listened to a clearing meditation on You Tube and I found I slept deeper than usual.  Now I’ve set up a regular routine that seems to be working.

Integrating energy management practically into our lives seems apt in the 2000’s. The last thirty years or so has seen a huge shift in acceptance of spiritual ideas and practices but I sense that now is the time we are being encouraged to ground ourselves and apply spiritual routines into our daily lives.

Just like brushing our teeth, clearing our energy at night can become a simple routine and an effective way to drift off to our other life of sleep land and recharge our energies on a deeper level.

Listed below are some night time tips. I suggest you experiment with any that appeal to you and work it into your night time routine. If you don’t get immediate results, don’t despair, it may take a week to adjust to the new energy and for it to integrate. Sweet dreams!

Essential oils can help soothe an over-busy brain.

•  Lay in bed comfortably, place your hands on your stomach. Breath in until your stomach rises and on the out-breath put the intention that you are releasing any negative energy you have picked up through the day. Repeat several times.

• Use an essential oil that appeals to you – lavender oil is a particularly good one for sleep. Place a few drops on the palms of your hand, breath in the scent, rub your hands together and run your hands through your aura, over your chakra centres, whilst saying the affirmation, ‘I now release any negative energy I have picked up today.’

• Ask Archangel Michael to cut any cords of toxic energy you have accumulated through out the day.

• Visualise a soft violet light around your bed, see yourself gently breathing in the light as you go to sleep with the intention of cleansing old energy on the out-breath.

• Visualise a circle of angels holding hands around your bed and angels stationed at the bedroom door. Ask the angels to remove and unwanted energy from your aura and keep you safe through the night.

• Use a crystal you like,  a rose quartz or amethyst is a good choice. (Avoid clear quartz and smoky quartz, they may be too strong for sleep) Cleanse the crystal in salt water. Hold the crystal and say ‘I now program this crystal to clear any negative energy I have accumulated today’. Place it by your bed. Cleanse the crystal regularly.There are many clearing meditations on you tube and the internet. Experiment with ones that work for you.

• For a particularly heavy day, I have a salt bath before bed with ten drops of lavender before bed. Salt absorbs negative energy. I use the pink Himalayan salt but any salt works. Salt scrubs in the shower are handy too. To make a salt scrub, get a small container, fill it three quarters of the way with salt, use Almond oil to cover it and add a few drops of your favourite essential oil. I use rose geranium and lavender. Voila! Gently rub a small amount into the skin and rinse after soaping and rinsing in the shower, avoiding the face.  (The shoulders are good to scrub as we often pick up negative energy around the shoulders.)

• Ask your angels to guide you to the perfect evening clearing routine for you. Be creative and experiment, you know yourself better than anyone else, trust your inner wisdom!

Liz Winter has been a medium and spiritual development teacher for over 25 years.  Liz is a Medium, Reiki Master/Healer, Angel Therapist, Spiritual Teacher, Author and Qualified Counsellor. To contact Liz go to her website: lizwintermedium

You can purchase Liz’s memoir from Amazon here: amazon.com/For-Love-Spirit-Medium You can read Barry Eaton’s review of Liz’s book here: verandahmagazine.following-path-spirit

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A morning walk turns into a journey of discovery for Verandah Magazine’s resident psychic and medium Liz Winter.

One morning, in a reflective mood, I walking  down the street during the mundane, routine hours of a working day – I could almost say my body walked my soul, when I began to study the faces that passed by me.

When you really start to look at the people passing you, it’s an interesting process, and, sad to say, there not that many happy faces.  Some people passed me by with faces like stone, some had paper thin tight smiles, others seemed so distant and vague it was as if there was  no one home.

But then I saw a woman kiss a dog and a mother bend down to comfort her crying child…and suddenly I had a thought: Do we all wonder at some point in our lives, who is going to love us?

When we know we are loved our world brightens, when we know we are loved, our challenges seem easier, when we know we are loved we find strength we didn’t know we had. But can we depend on others to love us at all times? Unconditional love is rare, even from parent to child.  So where can we turn to for those inevitable occasions when we feel unloved, unwanted or misunderstood?

My love of spiritual matters has often been my source of love when human love seems to have temporarily deserted me.  Feeling a warmth from the ‘other side’ in a form of a sign, a vision, a dream or a message has  been like a blanket of comfort more than once in my life.

However, as I’m ageing, and entering my ‘wise woman’ years, (I hope) it is clear to me that the most powerful love is self love. Self love, once you’ve connected to it, is always on tap and never lets you down.  Now, when I wake in the morning, I kiss my own shoulder, (because it’s easy to reach) hug my body and say to myself, ‘Liz, you are so special and you rock.’  Funnily enough, once we do own that self love, others seem to offer their love freely and frequently, which leads me to the inevitable conclusion so many people have written and spoken about – self love is a magnet.  In the manner of the Law of Attraction, you attract what you project.  If you project self-love more love will come.

And the best thing?  You can love yourself anywhere, all the time, any time.  It takes very little effort once you’ve got started, it’s absolutely free and when you’re brimming with self-love you’ll be amazed at how everybody around you will feel happy in your company – even the passers-by in the street are likely to smile!

Here are some guidelines and tips I took from the Queen of self love – Louise Hay;

12 Commandments to help you learn how to love yourself:

Stop All Criticism.
Criticism never changes a thing. Refuse to criticize yourself. Accept yourself exactly as you are. Everybody changes. When you criticize yourself, your changes are negative. When you approve of yourself, your changes are positive.

Forgive Yourself.
Let the past go. You did the best you could at the time with the understanding, awareness, and knowledge that you had. Now you are growing and changing, and you will live life differently.

Don’t Scare Yourself.
Stop terrorizing yourself with your thoughts. It’s a dreadful way to live. Find a mental image that gives you pleasure, and immediately switch your scary thought to a pleasure thought.

Be Gentle and Kind and Patient.
Be gentle with yourself. Be kind to yourself. Be patient with yourself as you learn the new ways of thinking. Treat yourself as you would someone you really loved.

Be Kind to Your Mind.
Self-hatred is only hating your own thoughts. Don’t hate yourself for having the thoughts. Gently change your thoughts.

Praise Yourself.
Criticism breaks down the inner spirit. Praise builds it up. Praise yourself as much as you can. Tell yourself how well you are doing with every little thing.

Support Yourself.
Find ways to support yourself. Reach out to friends and allow them to help you. It is being strong to ask for help when you need it.

Be Loving to Your Negatives.
Acknowledge that you created them to fulfill a need. Now you are finding new, positive ways to fulfill those needs. So lovingly release the old negative patterns.

Take Care of Your Body.
Learn about nutrition. What kind of fuel does your body need in order to have optimum energy and vitality? Learn about exercise. What kind of exercise do you enjoy? Cherish and revere the temple you live in.

Do Mirror Work.
Look into your eyes often. Express this growing sense of love you have for yourself. Forgive yourself while looking into the mirror. Talk to your parents while looking into the mirror. Forgive them, too. At least once a day, say, “I love you, I really love you!”

Love Yourself . . . Do It Now.
Don’t wait until you get well, or lose the weight, or get the new job, or find the new relationship. Begin now—and do the best you can.’                                Louise L Hay

There really is no need to wait for love to find you, it’s already there.

Liz Winter has been a medium and spiritual development teacher for over 25 years.  Liz is a Medium, Reiki Master/Healer, Angel Therapist, Spiritual Teacher, Author and Qualified Counsellor. To contact Liz go to her website: lizwinter

You can purchase Liz’s memoir from Amazon here: LoveofSpirit  You can read Barry Eaton’s review of Liz’s book here: verandahmagazine.following-path-spirit/

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Even if we don’t have a particular ‘other’ writes Liz Winter, there is still plenty of love to go around on Valentine’s Day – and every other day as well…

It Is Here

What sound was that?

I turn away, into the shaking room.

What was that sound that came in on the dark?
What is this maze of light it leaves us in?
What is this stance we take,
To turn away and then turn back?
What did we hear?

It was the breath we took when we first met.

Listen. It is here.

                             Harold Pinter

Oh to be romanced, to be loved, to desire and be desired! It’s surely something we all want to experience despite the highs and lows.

Every Valentine’s Day we tend to analyse our love lives. If we are happy in love it seems somehow that we are victorious in some way, and if we are single or unhappy in our current relationship we feel justified to indulge in a sorrowful moment for ourselves. If we do receive a Valentine’s card, flower or present we are keen to share the news but if we don’t does that really make us losers in love?

Perhaps there are times in our lives where a partner is part of our destiny and then there are times when we gain far more by going solo.

And yet, it seems natural to want to be loved by someone special and to reciprocate that love. A lover who gets us, someone who makes us feel good about ourselves, someone who is there to support us and let’s not forget the importance of physical chemistry.

Do we have to wait to meet a soul mate or can we make it happen? Perhaps we can.

By taking some control we feel empowered and this can help us enormously when we feel like a failure in love.

Here are some tips I’ve used when I have felt like a faded wallflower preparing my spinster outfits. It can also help if you want to improve the relationship you are in.

• Do your wish list!  I can hear you say ‘I’ve already done that, it didn’t work’, but it helps if you review it regularly to keep the energy fresh. Be specific but realistic and also adjust it as time goes on. Read it often and occasionally read it aloud to help bring it in to reality.

• Spruce up your feng shui in the bedroom or the house or both. It is the right hand corner of your house when you are facing the main entrance or the right hand corner of your bedroom when standing at the door. Make a ‘love’ altar. Place things that represent love to you, cut out a picture from a magazine of the sort of partner you would like to attract.

• Affirmations can work wonders. Try ‘I attract my soul mate now’ and then take a moment to really feel how it would be if you were with your soul mate. Affirmations manifest best when married to emotion and visualisation. Make sure you also affirm that you are worthy and deserving of love.

• Become aware how you speak to yourself. Be kind and loving to yourself in thoughts, words and attitudes.

• Take an interest outside yourself. Avoid spending time pining for the right partner. Get out there and give something to the community or perform random acts of kindness. It will make you feel good about yourself and when we radiate positive energy, we attract love wherever we go.

• Keep your friendships active no matter what your marital status is.

• Beware of jealousy of other couples who seem to have a perfect relationship – this attitude will repel love.

• If you need to heal the past and are struggling, try counselling or another healing modality. Ask your Spirit Guides and Angels to direct you to the perfect healer for you.

• Call on the Romance Angels for help and guidance. Call on Archangel Raguel for conflicts in love and Archangel Jeremiel for heart healing.

• Finally, and most importantly, never give up on Love!

All these activities set an intention, and intention can indeed be powerful.

Happy Valentine’s Day…

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Liz Winter, Verandah Magazine’s resident psychic tunes into the spirit world to answer the age-old question – what is a soulmate, and more importantly who are our soulmates?

I was spending time with my 87 year old mother, and suddenly I had a visual in my mind of how attractive she was in her youth and how she still seemed to have a flirtatious nature.  I was thinking about it, and smiling at her, when she said to me:  “I wonder which of the loves in my life will greet me when I die? Will it be your father, your stepdad or the boyfriend  I was madly in love with?  They’re all passed on, and I do wonder sometimes.”

It got me thinking and questioning. I thought of  partners I’ve had in my life, but also special friends and even my children. What is a ‘soulmate?’ What is the function of a soul mate and how do we know when we’ve met one? Are some people extra  ‘soulmate’ like? Is everyone we meet a soulmate? And what about people in Spirit, do they continue to be our ‘soulmate’ when they pass?

I decided to meditate on these questions, and specifically what my mother had asked me, and ask Spirit for some answers. I put on a  guardian angel meditation to get in the right frame of mind and was almost asleep I was so relaxed when I heard the gentle words of my guardian angel begin to come through to me:

‘Soulmates love, that’s what they do. Soulmates have something you need and you have something they need. Each soulmate is like fertiliser to a plant, you can’t really blossom without the energy of soulmates in your life. Not everyone is a soulmate. The people that make you feel deeply, think differently and inspire you to take positive actions and choices in your life are soulmates. Sometimes a soul mate will also be a catalyst for difficult feelings to arise within you but ultimately they love you and they are there in order to help you heal deep wounds.

Soulmates are eternal. You are part of each other, so death does not separate soul mates. In the case of your mother, all three may greet her at her time of transition as there is no jealousy or competition in the spirit world, only unconditional love. Soulmates turn up in your physical life when you need them, there is always a divine timing involved.

Soulmates are not only lovers, they can also come in the form of friends, family, teachers, co-workers and pets. A soulmate can turn up anywhere and anytime but there will always be an inner knowing or feeling when you meet them, trust that feeling and remember that ultimately, soulmates love, that’s what they do.’

Liz Winter has been a medium and spiritual development teacher for over 25 years.  Liz is a Medium, Reiki Master/Healer, Angel Therapist, Spiritual Teacher, Author and Qualified Counsellor. To contact Liz go to her website: lizwinter

You can purchase Liz’s memoir from Amazon here: LoveofSpirit

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Verandah Magazine’s Liz Winter discovers that out Christmas shopping help is at hand, if we only think to ask…

In a crowded department store, my senses were bombarded with Christmas Carols, decorations and stressed out people. The chaos in my mind was no better and there was a sick feeling of panic in my lower stomach. It’s one thing to buy a birthday gift as there is generally only one gift to choose but when you are faced with a dozen or more at once, it can take a toll of us mentally, emotionally and financially.

Somewhere in that moment of panic, I called out for help to my Spirit Guides, Angels or whoever may be listening, trying hard not to resent them for living in a non-physical world where Christmas gifts didn’t exist. Quite spontaneously, I felt my breath slow down and closed my eyes for a moment. I saw in my mind’s eye a clear vision of one of the intended recipients of my gifts. I tuned in psychically on this person’s energy and I asked their higher self, what can I gift you with that would bring you pleasure? I opened my eyes and it felt like my head was literally turned by some invisible force towards the sports section. I then recalled this person did have a passion for sport. I went straight to the item and purchased it, intuitively knowing this was the correct gift.

This experience led me to re-evaluate my gift giving techniques. I realised that often I buy gifts when I feel obligated and pressured and also how I frequently choose gifts that I think the person should have. Sometimes I can even be resentful I have to buy a gift when my funds are low. I am sure someone would not want a gift given with the energy of resentment.   I have made a decision to shift my focus now when buying gifts and be more aware of the person, their needs and their passions. Then there truly is the joy of giving and hopefully the energy of care and love will be felt.

The reminder I want to leave you with from this story is that you can ask your Spirit Helpers for any type of assistance, anytime and anywhere.

Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas! May you give and receive gifts that emanate love!

Liz Winter has been a medium and spiritual development teacher for over 25 years.  Liz is a Medium, Reiki Master/Healer, Angel Therapist, Spiritual Teacher, Author and Qualified Counsellor. To contact Liz go to her website: lizwintermedium

You can purchase Liz’s memoir from Amazon here: LoveofSpirit

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The stars in a Sedona night sky

 When Verandah Magazine’s resident medium, Liz Winter, had a dream that her mentor Denise Linn was beckoning her to the desert – she heeded the call and was glad she did…

Scattered stars strewn across an indigo desert sky framed by a full moon enveloped my heart and soul. My mentor, Denise Linn, appeared wearing a white cloak. Her words were clear and precise “Liz, you have to learn to be your authentic self and I can help you.”

I noticed a crowded classroom in the background and Denise beckoned me to enter…..in the background I heard a bell ringing – it was the alarm on my iPad and I was quickly dragged back to the real world. I awoke with memories of my vivid dream still clear in my mind.

I checked my email and there staring at me was a picture of a desert sky and Denise Linn inviting me to the Divine Wisdom Retreat in Scottsdale, Arizona. In a stunned state, I made a decision I was going. The dream had called me and I had to honour it, regardless of maxing out my credit card.

After first spending a week  in the amazing town of Sedona which is surrounded by red rock vortexes my companion and I felt suitably energized and ready to make our way to the Divine Wisdom Retreat.

Denise Linn, teacher, author and wise woman; Lisa Williams, the famous English medium and Colette Baron-Reid, medium, author and teacher collectively highlighted our lives over three memorable days. Each of these three women had unique wisdom to share and share they did.

Denise Linn took us on past life journeys that healed and released residual energy that no longer served us. Lisa Williams shared techniques for spiritual protection and energy maintenance. Colette Baron-Reid shared her humour and wisdom encouraging us to believe in ourselves. Both Lisa and Colette demonstrated incredibly accurate messages to the audience from the other side providing evidence of life in the Spirit World. There were tears, there was laughter and an undeniable presence of love, healing and Spirit in the room.

Divine Wisdom Retreat teacher, author and soul coach Denise Linn

Each speaker encouraged us to be ourselves, to honour ourselves and to be our authentic selves. Each one of these women role-modelled and displayed pure authenticity. Not once did I see a sliver of ego, only pure unadulterated love and compassion. Each speaker shared personal stories to demonstrate their teachings and I felt incredibly humbled to be privy to their private worlds. With humour and grace each speaker led us on a journey that ended in connecting to our own power within.

How often do we make decisions based on keeping others happy? How often do we refrain from expressing what we really think? How often do we tell ourselves we are not capable or deserving of something we desire? Being authentic requires us to be totally honest – with ourselves. As they say, it’s that easy – and that difficult.

By the end of the retreat, I walked outside to view a full moon in a desert sky scattered by stars, the classroom behind me and I knew that somewhere, deep inside of me, my authentic self could now breathe a little easier.

Liz Winter has been a medium and spiritual development teacher for over 25 years.  Liz is a Medium, Reiki Master/Healer, Angel Therapist, Spiritual Teacher, Author and Qualified Counsellor. To contact Liz go to her website: lizwintermedium

You can purchase Liz’s memoir from Amazon here: LoveofSpirit 

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Psychic and medium Liz Winter believes all of us are born with the gift to communicate with those on the other side…but as with any skill practice, she says, makes perfect.

The client who sat in front of me looked at rather dubiously. ’What do you mean, I could be a medium?’ she asked. Carol had just finished describing how her late husband had visited her in her dreams and that on occasion, she distinctly heard his voice call her name. She also described other encounters with loved ones who had passed on. Carol however, did not believe that she could possibly be a medium. Sound familiar to you?

I believe we are all born with the ability to encounter and communicate with those who dwell on the other side. It certainly isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but then neither is playing the guitar or running marathons. We can all choose to develop our various inner talents and often it is simply the belief that we ‘can’t’ or the fear that we will fail that stops us. For some of us, like Carol, mediumship comes easily but I believe it is a gift we all possess. Like any skill it takes practice and patience.

The fear factor around mediumship encompasses stories of ghosts, being possessed and losing the plot, often inspired by B grade movies – which have certainly lost their plot! Whilst spiritual protection is an important part of medium development, it’s something that is easily learned.

The most amazing aspect to mediumship is the healing and the comfort that it can bring to those grieving for their loved ones who have passed over. For some of us it’s a calling, so if you feel compelled to develop your inner medium, my advice is to allow your passion to override any self-doubt.

How to develop your mediumship skills

My advice is to firstly do your homework. Read, research, observe mediums in action via the web or perhaps go to a live show in your area. Get a feel for what it’s  all about, seek out recommendations of reputable mediums and perhaps book in for a reading.

Developing your inner medium is best done with a mentor and/or a group setting. Putting on a scarf and shining up your crystal ball may end up being a dull experience on your own.

If, after some research, you feel you would like to go ahead to develop your skills, see what courses are available. Ask your loved ones in Spirit to guide you to the right teacher. I love the saying ‘when the student is ready the teacher appears’.

Liz Winter has been a medium and spiritual development teacher for over 25 years.  Liz is a Medium, Reiki Master/Healer, Angel Therapist, Spiritual Teacher, Author and Qualified Counsellor. To contact Liz go to her website: lizwintermedium

You purchase Liz’s memoir from Amazon here: LoveofSpirit

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