Words That Heal The World
- carolan903
- May 1
- 14 min read
May Edition
Feature by Dana Micheli
“I’m Sensing a Hippo in a Tutu…”
Tips for Building Confidence in Your Mediumship
You have delivered the goosebump-inducing messages and had those “Wow, did I just say that?” moments when giving a reading. You have also received guidance for your own life, perhaps in meditation, dreams, or through your clairaudience. You also have those moments of self-judgment and doubt that, at their worst, can feel paralyzing. You may even feel like your connection to Spirit is on the fritz or your ability “has gone away.” You are not alone.
Even the most experienced mediums go through this, or can remember having gone through it at some point in their development. The question is, how do we ride out these uncomfortable times, maintain our confidence, and even have fun? Here are some tips.
Don’t Hold Back
When a message sounds random or downright weird, deliver it anyway. Confidence isn’t about being right one hundred percent of the time; it’s about trusting what you’re sensing and knowing Spirit has a reason for everything they show you—even if the sitter doesn’t get it right that second.
Part of trusting the information is expressing it in a straightforward manner. For example, if the visual of a hippo wearing a tutu flashes through your mind’s eye, say that, rather than, “I may be imagining things, but…” You never know how it will land with the sitter!
Make Space for Play
Psychic work is serious business, but it doesn’t have to feel serious all the time. Get together with trusted friends for light-hearted exercises like describing their favorite vacation or a pet. Don’t worry about getting things right, do make it a point to have fun and laugh. The more playful you are, the more open you are—and Spirit loves that.
Embrace the Mystery (and the Messy Moments)
When a reading is flowing, the feeling is hard to beat. The energy is flowing, and the buzz lasts even after the reading ends. Then there are those readings when you feel like you’re walking through mud. It happens, and we don’t always know why. Sometimes you feel off. Sometimes your sitter is closed off to a reading, and that throws you off. Let it be. Laugh it off. See it as an opportunity to release control and understand that a tough reading does not make you less of a medium. The more you roll with it, the more unshakable your confidence becomes.
Don’t Force It
Stagnation in your mediumship can feel like writer’s block: you’re sitting there, praying for words that seem at the tip of your fingers (or tongue) but won’t come out. Instead of focusing on what’s not happening, turn your attention to something you enjoy or have been wanting to try. Paint a picture, take a walk, watch a funny movie. Take a class on energy healing, using color in mediumship, or angel communication. You may find that all you needed was a rest!
To sum up…
You have been called to this work because you want to serve Spirit and support others as they navigate life. In turn, Spirit is always here to support you. Confidence isn’t about being fearless—it’s about showing up anyway, trusting the unseen, and letting Spirit speak through your soul.
Teacher of the Month Tutor John Johnson, The Natural Medium
Last week, I had the pleasure of a very in-depth interview with Tutor John Johnson, The Natural Medium. If you have had the privilege of knowing John or taken a class or individual session with him, you won't be surprised to hear that I laughed, cried, contemplated, and learned some valuable things. Thank you, John - Carolan
John has been involved in developing sensitivity training for almost twenty years. This involved self-development, self-expression, intuitive and spiritual awareness, public presentation, meditation practice, and more. John is an international medium, teacher, and tutor.
"When a flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower." Alexander Den Heijer.
Carolan: What is your philosophy of teaching?
John: I did an exercise many years ago that involved the teachers' and students' philosophy.
One thing I found when I did the exercise for myself was that it really came down to the teacher's philosophy. This means the teacher is being honest about who they are first and then encouraging others to be the honest version of themselves. If you want to simplify the essence of mediumship, you don't need anything else if you have integrity, honesty, and compassion. You can train with 14,000 exercises, but you'll probably never do the exercises if you don't have love, compassion, and empathy. I think the philosophy of my teaching, as a teacher, is about coming from a space of love, compassion, and real honesty and truth towards yourself before you start teaching others.
Carolan: I don't think I've ever heard that before. What about mediumship in general? What are your thoughts about that?
John: In what way?
Carolan: In any way you want to tell me about it. Do you feel like it's a religious, spiritual gift? Do you feel like it's a gift anybody can have?
John: I think mediumship is open to everybody. I believe that there are no special people on the planet. I don't believe in gurus or people with special abilities more than others. The only difference is that mediumship manifests itself more naturally in some people than others, but it's not because that person is better. I get very tired of this. There's a thought that you don't have enough power or are not powerful enough. And you don't have enough energy to be a medium. It makes no sense to me. I think what's important is to recognize that mediumship, within its nature, is just as natural as the movement of the sea. And mediumship, in its nature, is just as natural as the rise and fall of the sun and the moon. It's a natural concept already there, but are we willing to do the work to create the space for it to show itself within our lives? Are we willing to do the work to let it manifest within the truth of who we are? And if we don't allow ourselves to go through that journey of what mediumship brings us, rather than what we have to give to it, then I don't think we've fully embraced the truth within the essence of who we are.
We then don't permit ourselves to unlock all the doors. This is going to sound controversial. When I look at mediumship over the last 20 years, it has led people down a dead-end road due to the way it has been taught. How I teach it today is night and day from what it was. I hardly teach anything that I was taught now. Not because what I was taught at the start wasn't helpful. When I had more experience and started to create my own philosophy of the natural medium, I started to unfold that and understand what it represents. That's when I noticed that much of the teaching was very boxed. And, it wasn't taught. You were told stuff.
An example would be what I've started teaching a lot in the last few years, which has a lot to do with wants and needs. When I was taught wants and needs, it was very clear and simple: Tell people what they need to hear, not what they want to hear. That was my instruction.
Twenty years later, I think, what an arrogant way to look at an exercise. Because what it says, from my perception, of being older, more mature, hopefully evolving, and developing…what it says to me is that that style of teaching says that that person thinks they know better than you. For me, the distinction between wants and needs is a very deep philosophy, especially when you want to uncover it and bring it forward.
The tradition of teaching has become very mechanical. That was very black and white. And it didn't open the space for sensitives, which sounds weird because it's a sensitive subject, and it's about sensitive people. Sensitive people, where I came from, didn't have the space to be sensitive, which is weird. Some people (students) are told that when they go to other teachers, they are told things like, ' You're too sensitive. ' And they would cry and would say, I'm too sensitive. While I'm saying, you're not too sensitive. From my perspective, you don't understand your own sensitivity. That's the only problem. You're not too sensitive. If you have someone who has patience and insight into what it's like to be sensitive, they can help you understand your sensitivity.
I don't want to criticize anyone because I had teachings that helped me get to where I am, but I also recognize that most teachings don't focus on teaching mediumship. It's teaching techniques. And we've lost a lot of the spiritual connotation of what it has meant to represent. We've lost a lot of compassion, the love of what it represents, and its spiritual aspects. It's become a lot about what I call instant coffee mediumship. You put it in a cup of hot water, give it a stir, and it's ready, that kind of mentality. Instant coffee, rather than recognizing its life, is a part of life.
It's not an act. It's not a trick. It's not a profession. It's a part of life that if you can do it well, you may make it into an aspect of a career. Still, even a career is not the right word because it's a service you provide. And that people respect you because of your service and are willing to pay you for it. They're not paying you for your mediumship. They're paying you for your time and effort in the conversation.
I have a deep appreciation for mediumship and its collective history. Although I haven't for many years, I have extensively studied the pioneers and historical aspects of mediumship from previous generations. It seemed to be more about the Spirit; today, it's more about the person. I think it's lost its spiritual connotation. Obviously, it's not everywhere because there are many spiritual people, but I think it has lost many of its connotations to what it was meant to be.
And then when you go to the teaching of it, it's a different ball game because you've got people trying to make people into what they are. You've got people trying to teach them to do what they do. And it becomes very hard because students lose their place in themselves. After all, they're not allowed to do what they do.
They have to do what the teacher tells them. And then they all lose this natural ability, and their mediumship gets compressed because they're being told how to do it rather than being encouraged to unfold it. I think it's very difficult sometimes for me to watch when I see people who are so compassionate, so heartfelt, so emotional, and that's been bashed out of them because they have to work another way. And, that way doesn't always suit the nature of who they are. This is why the natural medium became, because I noticed that I wasn't being my own natural self in my own mediumship. I started to teach myself what it meant to be natural within my awareness, which then made it into philosophy, which is what I taught everyone else, or tried to teach everyone, or at least give them insight so that they can have an understanding.
Carolan: I've heard that we are our mediumship, and our mediumship is us, or we live our mediumship. What does that mean?
John: I think for me, the way that I see it is mediumship is life, and life is mediumship because I think it's easier to understand. When you understand that life is your mediumship and that mediumship is your life, you understand there is no separation between who you are and what you do, and between what you do and who you are, because how you live your life represents your spirituality. Your spirituality is a representation of who you are. So there's no separation between. You can't walk around trying to be spiritual and pretend you're a spiritual person and go and start killing spiders and flies and squatting animals. You can't start killing stuff. Even if Buddha started squashing all the bugs, it'd be like, what's he doing? You can't claim to be a spiritual person and then act in a non-spiritual way. It doesn't make any sense. You can't be calling yourself a spiritual person and then spread rumors and stab everybody in the back because you're angry. You're showing us that you're angry, and your spirituality is a reflection of that anger. But if you're in compassion and love, where you accept your flaws, nobody's perfect, but you can still be in your love and compassion. I might have an opinion about something or somebody else, but I try, even if it's an opinion, to be respectful and make sure it stays an opinion and doesn't become a judgment. Because it's okay to have opinions, but it's not okay to judge. Your mediumship represents everything you are, believe, and know, including how you conduct yourself and live your life.
It represents... it echoes... it ripples back through your mediumship, and your mediumship
ripples into your life. I think it's part of the same thing. It's like the apple on the apple seed. There are two things, but it's one thing.
Carolan: What are the most important things you want your students to know?
John: I think the number one thing is you are enough. The second thing is that everything is possible. There are no boundaries, so everything is possible. And number three, be the best version of yourself. Because I think that if you can have those aspects about yourself where you know you're enough, you won't try to prove yourself because you accept this is who you are. If you can have that mentality, you will enjoy the journey rather than destroy the journey. I think it's very easy to compare and think that person does this, and I don't do that, and they do this, and then we actually... we don't... we don't enjoy the journey, we destroy it. So, I think that by giving yourself permission to recognize you are enough, it helps you see that you might not be the same as that person, and you might not be doing what they do. But what you're doing and where you are is okay. It's enough.
I think that's important because we're so quick to criticize ourselves rather than critique ourselves. To grow, yes, we need to be conscious of what we can do better and what we can learn, but I also think we have to be honest about what we can do and where we stand, rather than focusing on all the things we can't. I was speaking to a lady recently during a one-to-one session, and I got her to do a practice. I was sitting and watching her practice, and I said to her, 'The problem is, you're not being honest with yourself.' And she said I am being honest. I said, 'You're not... you're trying to fit into the mold of what you think the teacher wants, and you're not allowing yourself to say,"Look, this is... forget everything, this is me, this is what I have to offer." "And then they lose themselves. ' I think that sort of you is enough, and it's okay for you to be you and be the best version. It's about coming home to yourself because if you can't be home, then you're nowhere.
And the thing about it is you always go... wherever you go, you always take yourself with you, right? If you're going somewhere and feeling not good enough, it doesn't matter where you go in the world; you're always feeling not good enough. I think that accepting yourself, respecting yourself, and all that kind of self-talk are far more important than saying, you know, how sensitive you are to me. Because I think if you do all that, sensitivity will show itself.
Where does sensitivity come from? It comes from the genuine essence of who you are. You don't need to force sensitivity if you can be in the power of yourself, because sensitivity will show itself by being in the power of yourself. It's like people think they need to sit to meditate, but that's completely wrong because you don't sit to meditate.
You sit, and you allow meditation to happen to you. Mediumship is the same. You don't sit to do mediumship; you sit for the condition of mediumship, and you let mediumship arise within you. It's a very different way of looking at it. Rather than showing that I can do mediumship, I want to create the right conditions and let it show you its presence. It brings it back to the natural.
You know yourself; when you practice and think you need to prove you can, how much do you not do it? And when you go in with the feeling of, ' Okay, let's see what happens,' you're more likely to have success because you're allowing mediumship to arise and happen to you. But we're so afraid because we don't have control over it then. It all boils back down to the self, which is obviously the nature of my teaching. Eventually, it all evolves around the self.
Carolan: What is your favorite quote?
John: "When a flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower." (Alexander Den Heijer.) If a flower fails to bloom, we don't change it. We change the environment in which it grows because people put themselves in environments that are not nurturing. They are in environments that do not feed their soul or encourage confidence and belief.
And it's not because they're wrong. It's because the environment doesn't serve what they need to grow. So I think I've used that quote a hundred times when I've talked to students and said, you know, if a flower fails to bloom, you being the flower, if that fails to bloom, we don't change the flower, we change the environment so it has the things it needs to bring it to its best. I've used it for years, and it's one of my favorites purely because of what it represents and how important it is. It says a lot about where I see many students in mediumship, where they're all trying their best and following the best guidance, and doing the best thing. Yet they're not paying attention to the fact that the environment is not working. The environment is not a growth environment. It also symbolizes everybody's individuality because no two flowers are the same. Even if it's 12 roses, there's not one that's the same, and that's very important for mediumship because people often want to be alike. You can't be alike because your individuality distinguishes what's beside you. And also, a lot of flowers grow beside a lot of flowers. You know, weeds grow beside flowers and don't argue and fight. They grow because that's the nature of growth. I think it has many meanings for me.
Carolan: What are some courses and offerings you have for this year?
John:
I'm doing private one-to-ones. We have a free practice group on Facebook, and I've also started a paid private practice group. And I've just advertised a summer workshop.
Author of the Month Kelly Renee Vizzini
Whispers of Love: A Journey to Self-Love Through the Guidance of Animals and Spirit will transform the way you look at the animals in your life, the reach of your loved ones in Spirit, and the significance of every step that guides you home to your heart. Energy healer and animal intuitive Kelly Renee Vizzini shares her incredible encounters with the animal beings who crossed her path, both as clients in her pet care business and wild animals on the hiking trails of Arizona. Each one taught her profound lessons about facing and overcoming whatever lands on her path; hearing her inner voice over the external noise; and, above all, accepting love.
Medium of the Month Yvonne Cote
"No matter what your situation is…There Is an Angel for That!!"
Yvonne Cote, is a Holistic Wellbeing Practitioner, Spiritual Mentor, and Published Author based in Kelowna, BC, Canada. She holds certifications as an Angel Practitioner and Guide, Moonologist, Numerologist, and Colour Mirror Practitioner. She’s also a Reiki Master, Psychic Medium, and Certified Crystal Healer.
Yvonne is the founder of There Is an Angel for That, a sacred space where she shares her deep passion for the angelic realm and its powerful gifts of healing, protection, and divine guidance. Through private consultations and intuitive mentorship, she specializes in empowering empathic women to break through energetic blocks, ignite their intuition, and reconnect with their innate divine power.
With a heart-centered and spiritually grounded approach, Yvonne guides her clients to harness holistic tools and spiritual wisdom, helping them create a life of alignment, clarity, and soulful fulfillment. And she wholeheartedly believes that no matter what your situation is…There Is an Angel for That!!
In Yvonne’s Angel Card Readings, you’re invited into a space of comfort, clarity, and divine connection. With her intuitive gifts and deep connection to the angelic realm, Yvonne brings forward messages that offer guidance, encouragement, and soul-level insight. Each card she draws is infused not only with angelic wisdom but also with the sacred language of numbers, adding an extra layer of meaning through intuitive numerology. It's more than a reading—it’s a conversation with your angels and higher self.
Complimentary Self-Transformation Meditation with Susan Ward
Join Susan Ward for this free online Self-Transformation Meditation.
Increase your awareness of the emotions, thoughts, and beliefs that keep you in a cycle of emotional reaction and suffering, and break that cycle, transform your perceptions, and change your inner dialogue.
Susan has been practicing yoga and meditation since 1997 and teaching since 2007. With a background in Social Work and training and experience as a Reiki Master, she offers a wide range of workshops and special class series to explore yogic practices and energy healing.
When
May 1 and May 8 at 7 pm. (You are welcome to attend both sessions.)
Zoom link provided upon registration.
Where
For more information, visit www.pathwaystopeaceyoga.com/tw-course
Downright Fabulous People Development Circle Events
Upcoming Events: To subscribe to the newsletter, please visit https://www.carolandickinson.org/blog
Private Sitting Event (Complimentary) May 17th at 10:00 a.m. AZ Time/1:00 p.m. EST
You will be paired with a medium for a private sitting via a Zoom breakout room. You're session will be 30 minutes. Facebook notifications and emails will be sent before the event to sign up. To be added to the email list, please send an email to carolan903@gmail.com