Beyond The Concrete

The Vocabulary of Connection

Mediumship, Meaning & Discernment

For the past couple of years, I have been really interested in knowing more about mediumship. Is it real? Is it a scam? How can someone gain access to the beloved? There are so many questions - sometimes, much moreso than answers. And maybe that’s the point.

Well, the fact is energy is energy. Time and space are just constructs of the mind and there is much more beyond the physical. That can be proven in a myriad of ways.

I have had a couple of readings by some very reputable, gifted people. I wanted to gain a little more understanding of the process, so I had to witness it for myself.

Some of the information can be a little bit hard to digest for our conscious minds. We look for concrete, tangible evidence to support our senses. Mediumship can often challenge all of that. Mediumship is one of those subjects that can bring up a lot of questions. For some, there is curiosity:

Could this really be possible?

What does a medium actually experience?

How would I know if the information was real?

For others, there may be skepticism, fear, or even discomfort. And honestly, I think all of those responses deserve a place at the table.

My own relationship with mediumship doesn’t necessarily look like the traditional way many people might seek out a reading. I don’t tend to lean into spiritual mediumship in the ways most people might imagine when they think about receiving a reading. I don’t provide readings, just to be clear. My connection is much more rooted in energetic information—the impressions, sensations, imagery, emotions, and subtle information that can arise when I am authentically connected with another person.

I can receive names, colors, images, and a deep sense of emotion that raises more awareness and insights. Spirit animals tend to be the supporting mechanism that surfaces for me to extrapolate the theme or guidance to be shared for another. And one of the things I find most fascinating about this work is the vocabulary of connection.

I often think of each person’s energetic and conscious relationship with spirituality as having its own dictionary and thesaurus.

We each develop a unique language through our experiences.

One person might receive information through animals. Another might experience colors, numbers, physical sensations, memories, words, archetypes, nature, angels, or particular people. Something that means protection to one person might represent transformation to another.

This is why I believe two mediums could potentially perceive the same underlying theme differently because each has a different symbolic vocabulary. The information may arrive similarly, but the language used to translate it can be completely different. And personally, I believe this is why I’m so intrigued by what I encounter with another. It is what makes this work so personal.

Is the information literal?

Not necessarily.

Sometimes information comes through with remarkable specificity. Other times, it is broad, symbolic, or difficult to immediately understand.

A medium might perceive water.

But what does water mean?

It could represent emotional movement. Cleansing. Grief. Renewal. A particular memory. A place. A person. Or simply something that the individual will understand later.

The medium receives the impression, but the recipient ultimately has to determine what that information means within the context of their own life. This is where discernment becomes incredibly important. Discernment is the key here. Please remember that.

I don’t believe we are meant to surrender our own knowing simply because someone else has offered us information.

Instead, I think there are beautiful questions we can ask:

Does this resonate with me?

What specifically about this feels familiar?

Is there something here that I recognize independently?

Does the information create clarity, or does it create fear?

Am I connecting this message to something because it genuinely resonates, or because I desperately want it to be true?

What happens when I sit with this information rather than immediately accepting it?

These questions allow us to remain open without becoming unquestioning. Because openness and discernment can—and should—coexist.

What if the information is general?

This is another important question.

Sometimes information received through a medium can be general. That’s worth acknowledging rather than pretending otherwise. Humans are incredibly capable of finding ourselves within broad statements and symbolic language. We naturally connect dots, identify patterns, and assign meaning.

That doesn’t necessarily make the experience meaningless. It simply means we should be thoughtful about what we call evidence and what we call meaning.

There is a difference between saying:

“This information has meaning for me.”

and “This proves that this information came from an external spiritual source…so it must be literal.”

Those are two very different statements.

I love to approach everything with honor and respect. It is at my utmost importance of what I do in this “non-regulated” space. I believe that this approach alone can provide professional legitimacy to the importance and impact of what these sessions can provide another soul. Quite often, a person may be seeking answers and guidance from such a need, that they may lack discernment and have information bias.

For me, there is something liberating about allowing the experience to remain meaningful without forcing it to become something it cannot definitively prove.

The responsibility of the person providing the information

This is perhaps one of the most important pieces of the conversation as I mentioned. So I will elaborate.

If we choose to work with people who offer mediumship or energetic readings, there is a tremendous responsibility placed on the person providing that information. People come looking for readings for many reasons.

They may be grieving.

They may be looking for connection.

They may be searching for reassurance.

They may be standing at a crossroads and hoping for a little insight.

And because of that vulnerability, words can carry enormous weight.

A person receiving a reading may take something said to them very seriously. They may change a decision, alter a relationship, or interpret their life through the lens of what they’ve been told.

That is why I believe trust, honor, and respect are essential. So, please, let’s be careful in how we approach this work. If we are going to work with something as subtle and personal as energetic or spiritual information, we have to respect the person on the other side of that connection. We should never use fear to create dependence. We should never position ourselves as having all the answers. And we should never forget that the person receiving the information has their own intuition, wisdom, history, and relationship with their life. The role of the practitioner, in my opinion, is not to become the authority over someone else’s experience.

It is to honor the information as it comes, communicate it responsibly, and leave room for the individual to discern what it means for them.

Connection doesn’t require blind belief

I believe that this is where I land with mediumship.

You don’t have to believe everything.

You don’t have to reject everything.

You can be curious.

You can be skeptical.

You can be spiritually open while still asking really good questions.

In fact, I think asking questions is part of honoring the experience.

This may be an unpopular opinion in this community, but I feel it should be explored further.

For me, energetic connection isn’t about proving something to someone. It is about becoming present enough to notice what might otherwise go unnoticed.

Sometimes that information arrives as a word.

Sometimes an image.

Sometimes a sensation.

Sometimes an emotion.

Sometimes something that makes absolutely no sense in the moment—and then months later, suddenly does.

And sometimes, we simply don’t know.

At times, when I’m engaged with another person’s energy, not much comes up.

I’m okay with that too.

There is something beautiful about leaving a little room for mystery.

Because ultimately, the most important connection isn’t the medium’s connection to the information. It’s the individual’s connection to their own discernment.

Our spiritual vocabulary is deeply personal. We each carry our own dictionary of experiences and a thesaurus of symbols, memories, emotions, and meanings. I often think that the purpose of mediumship isn’t always to tell us what something means, it simply offers us another word, image, or future insight.

Whatever the case, we get to decide whether that “thing” belongs in the story we’re writing.

Trust. Honor. Respect.

As I stated, these are staples in my practice.

To me, these are some of the purest ways we can honor informational energy, spiritual connection, and those who choose to practice these gifts. They remind us that no matter what information comes through—

we still get to listen for ourselves.

And what is better than that!

-The Nature Within