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 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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Book Review by Barry Eaton

The Love of Spirit

by Liz Winter, Balboa Press

Liz Winter is a medium living and working in the Northern Rivers area – like many of us in the area she felt guided by some unseen presence to leave the big city life, head north and start a new life.  Although Winter had started her training as a medium in Melbourne, it was only after she summoned enough courage to start working professionally in her new location that her true purpose in life started to unfold.

For the Love of Spirit is Winter’s personal story, a single mother who battled the odds to help people connect with their loved ones in Spirit, and in doing so grew both personally and spiritually. For the Love of Spirit is an easy read and will certainly help others either in their quest to develop their own psychic abilities, or simply to understand the process and benefits of contacting spirits in the afterlife.

Liz tells of connecting with her spirit guide, White Owl, who is able to communicate with her with clairaudience with words of support, as well as helping her to connect with those in Spirit. Every medium needs what is often referred to as a ‘spirit control’ or a ‘gatekeeper’ to connect our world with the world of spirit and help establish and maintain clear communication. These powerful guides often present themselves in various archetypal forms, such as Red Indians, Buddhist monks and the like, to make us feel more comfortable. White Owl’s relationship with Liz has certainly been a strong influence in her work.

Many books written by mediums and psychics are full of anecdotes about their work and the people they encounter. I feel that these authors are often trying to prove to people that they are genuine, asking for a pat of approval on their collective backs. Not so with Winter – she has left her ego safely locked away with her story. Winter does include some of her encounters in the world of spirit, but this book is essentially a memoir, and this is the true strength and appeal of the book. One story made me chuckle when I read it. Winter was expecting her next client to arrive, only to see a man in a police uniform stride through the door. Like most of us in the same circumstances her heart missed a couple of beats as she assumed she must be in trouble. It turned out that ‘Ken’ was on his way to work and had to come for his reading in uniform. Winter was able to connect with his late wife who had passed shortly after their honeymoon and the messages that she had for Ken helped him to move on with his life.

Liz also writes openly about her own relationships and family situations, taking the reader into her world in a warm and embracing manner. All-in-all For The Love of Spirit is a very enjoyable book.

To purchase Liz Winter’s For the Love of Spirit go here: amazon.com/Love-Spirit-Medium-Memoir

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The Inaugrual Australian Afterlife Explorers Conference is taking place in Sydney on January 24, 25 and 26.

 Perhaps even more concerning to humanity than the Secret of Life, is the Secret of Death.  Where do we go when we die?  Do we really die?  Now a group of afterlife experts, including our own local afterlife expert Barry Eaton are taking part in the first ever Australian Afterlife Conference.

Most people tend to associate conferences with a group of corporate type people getting together for a talk fest and post event social celebration.  Well, forget that! I am delighted to be part of a fascinating conference for people who don’t want to get all frocked up to impress the competition and of course their colleagues.

If you’re interested in the mysteries of life there is an exciting opportunity to be part of Australia’s inaugural Afterlife Conference in January in Sydney.

The Australian Afterlife Explorers Conference will bring together some of Australia’s and New Zealand’s finest afterlife researchers, academics, authors and mediums in a three day event over the Australia Day holiday weekend.

The main aim of the conference is to forge the link between science and spirituality, to challenge our negative perception of death and to remove the fear associated with it. “Death is one of life’s greatest mysteries,” says conference organizer, Mick Turner. “When we die, do we simply no longer exist, or is there a continuity of consciousness and progression of our soul?”

The prospect of our consciousness surviving the physical death of our body all too often is simply dismissed by a sceptical scientific community. Scientists sadly often ignore and ridicule reports of strange phenomena from those who have approached, and in some cases gone beyond, the threshold of death … even though such experiences have a profound effect upon those who experience them.

Some of Australia’s most knowledgeable professionals will be presenting a the conference, including retired lawyer Victor Zammit, International President of the Michael Newton Institute, Peter Smith, and Australian social scientist Michele Knight. Well known mediums Ezio and Michelle DeAngelis and Val Hood will not only speak at the conference, but will give demonstrations of afterlife contact. They will be joined by other leading mediums in special presentations on the Saturday and Sunday evenings.

I am very pleased to also be one of the presenters, as well as MC-ing what is shaping up to be a memorable weekend. Having written two books on this subject I can attest to the growing interest in all areas of life after death, ranging from Near Death Experiences to the afterlife journey itself.

Over three days there will be twenty-one presentations with a diverse array of topics including ‘The Metaphysical Experiences of Following and Observing Three Souls at the Moment of Physical Death’ by Michael Roads.

“It’s time we all realised that we are eternal beings,” says Peter Smith, President of the Michael Newton Institute. “We have Life between Lives therapists validating the afterlife experience for clients in 40 countries around the world on a daily basis.”

Whether you are grieving the loss of a loved one, curious about what happens when you die, or pondering your own mortality, then this conference will leave you feeling less fearful about death, inspired to live a more loving and purposeful life, and comforted  by new thoughts of your loved ones in the afterlife. One of the most important benefits of this conference will be to help people realise that life is ongoing, only the body dies.

The conference will be held at the Parramatta RSL Club in Sydney on the 24^th, 25^th and 26^th January 2015

For more details of the conference, including a full list of the presenters and the daily schedule please visit the website Afterlifeexplorers

Barry Eaton is a former ABC radio and TV presenter, current host of RadioOutThere.com and the author of ‘Afterlife’ and ‘No Goodbyes’.  You can order his book here: afterlifebarryeaton and find out more about Radio Out There here: radiooutthere

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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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