I think (suspect?) that everyone potentially has the ability to be a medium, and the 'equipment' (if you like?) to do it. Unfortunately, there are no certain, well proven and documented ways to engage this ability - I can only speak for myself. I was very, very lucky, in that I was in the right place, at the right time, with the right people around me both here and in the world of spirit. I also had, and nearly always have had, an intensely curious and open mind.
The evening it happened I was doing some building and mechanical work for a friend, in that well know hub of Myticism and Spirituality, Milton Keynes (ahem!). It was a new house, younger than myself, which had been owned and left to my friend by his Godfather, who had sadly died from cancer at a young age about four or five years before. He was, I now think, the most essential part of this, for he collected books and antiques, and the house was filled with not only people dear to him, but many precious, personal objects. Even so, to my knowledge there was no record of him ever having 'haunted' the place, or been sensed, seen or communicated with before this day.
There were quite a few of us staying at the house, repairing, modifying and rebuilding it - and I was one of the oldest, in my 40's at the time. It was great fun actually, we worked hard and played a lot harder, party nights out in rather enjoyable clubs, smoking lots of dope (not my poison personally, though I did indulge), and plenty of speed, MDMA and some very amusing amyl nitrite sessions round the table... good atmosphere, and good friends.
Drugs had little to do with my 'revelation' however, though the closeness and friendships that had developed may have done - I don't know? Whatever, one night I found myself sitting in the garden, watching the stars, a hobby I have had since my youth, ideally suited to the 'big skies' and clear air of MK. I had smoked a small spliff IIRC, and drunk a couple of small bottles of cider, but was in no way at all 'intoxicated' (for me!), just sort of mellow and relaxed.
Now I think this next bit was somehow important and significant, as I looked up at the Moon, and pictured the (well set) Sun, illuminating the bright crescent from below the horizon and behind me. I then searched for, and found, Saturn, Jupiter and Mars (IIRC), and 'fitted them in' to a 3D image of the Solar system, which was strangely satisfying. I then looked at the stars, and the Milky Way, and formed a mental image of the spiral arm of the Galaxy, appreciating that the light of a large proportion of the stars I could see had left on its journey to enter my eyes long before I was born.... then others, long before various historical events, then a vast profusion I was witnessing as they had been in the time of the dinosaurs... and beyond. Basically, the breathtaking vastness and age of what I could see... and felt I had never REALLY appreciated liike this before. I did my best to picture the scale and magnitude of it alld did somehow create in my mind an 'accurate' 3D image of my Universe... helped by the fact that the Andromeda Galaxy was visible (never normally seen from London), and was in reality bigger than all I could see and picture of the Milky Way.
What followed was nothing spectacular, or even mind boggling, it was merely the profound realisation of how tiny and insignificant I was in space and time, what a brief, tiny 'flash' my whole life was, is and would be in the scale of things, and what a very, very, very small speck of energy and matter I was, in such an unimaginably vast, long lived and complicated Universe.
My mind did boggle at this, since it is far, far too much for the human imagination to cope with... and at this moment, I heard a voice in my head.
"Who are you?" It was faint, but clear, and was not 'audible' - no position, pitch or tone. What on earth's this? I thought - the onset of schitzophrenia? Logic and reason seemed perfectly intact... or I wouldn't have thought that, would I? I actually have a great interest in psychology and a rather dim view of psychiatry, and had always been a bit exasperated at the way schitzophrenics were treated, having seen a few friends fall prey to 'therapies' and 'treatments' inflicted on them, which IMO did nothing but harm. So, whatever it was, I was going to deal with it MY way! I therefore declined to speak (even though I was alone), and 'in my head' said:
"Hello. I'm Bob. Nice to meet you..." The voice was distinctly suspicious, even hostile, and demanded to know why I was there, what I was doing, and what my intentions were. I answered honestly, and in a friendly, reassuring way, since I had nothing to hide... and certainly nothing to fear from some disembodied voice. I soon realised that if this actually WAS schitzophrenia, my mind was cleverer and more creative than I had ever imagined, for this 'entity' (for want of a better word) was completely different to me, was not some 'character' I would ever have made up, and most significantly, seemed to be rather sharper and cleverer than I was, even more arrogant and opinionated, and most worryingly, appeared to know thing I did not, particularly about the house, books and other items.
It didn't take long for me to figure out who I was talking to, which of course was NOT me, nor some figment of my imagination, but my friend's Godfather, who had been dead for several years. My natural REAL paranoia did come into play at this point, and we had long, seemingly endless all night conversations, where ohn (as he was called) made noises, moved things, pointed out books which had notes and papers hidden in them (which he told me about first), and basically proved his post-mortem existence as best he could. Best of all, by actually appearing on three occasions... and he would have done on a fourth I think too, but at the sight of a sinister, black apparition developing, I lost my nerve, being alone in the library.
I will stop now, before I write another book (I will do one day, it is already underway). Whatever Ninae, that is how it happened to (for?) me. Whether such a 'method' works for others, I have no idea, but have heard of similar techniques being employed.
Sadly, when you say 'have to be experienced to understand' there, although I can do it, have experienced beyond any doubt, and met (even seen) many wonderful, fascinating and extraordinary people, beings and things, I can't honestly claim to 'understand' it! I am still a skeptic at heart... but have learned many things, like how to 'speak' without words and 'see' without eyes... it is often a meeting of minds, telepathy, which needs no common language.
I'm not sure about James Dean, but I saw a documentary about Patrick Swayze, and his ghastly struggle with pancreatic cancer. It touched me deeply, for he was clearly aware of the spirit of his father, and greatly inspired and encouraged by his presence, and the strength it gave him
As for your sister, that is often the way it goes. All through my life I have been fascinated by ghost stories, the 'paranormal' and spiritualism. I now realise that the 'voices' I heard as a child, and the peculiar entities I met, drew and described (to the great alarm of my parents) were nothing to worry about, though I was scared out of my wits back then! Fortunately I also sensed when it was wise to keep quiet about them, or I'd probably still be slammed up in the local Asylum!
Your sister sounds typical of severeal 'sensitive' people I have known - they often show no interest at all, and even vehemently deny there is 'life after death', or solemnly proclaim "There's no such thing as ghosts/UFO's etc. etc." My friend Joe is one.... quote: "I know there aren't any such things as ghosts, it's all rubbish... but I've seen one!" And he did see one, a very dull, rather sad and sleazy one, of some old boy who died in the toilet - alcoholic spirits did for him alas. My father is another... any mention of the subject ends in a row... and all my childhood drawings are locked away, never to be seen!
I sense your curiousity and open mind there Ninae, but before you try to 'connect', which I'm sure can be done, I'd just like to warn you that it can be a 'two edged sword', can be very tiring and distracting indeed! I suggest you go to a Spiritualist meeting, where you will find helpful people to offer good advice. Me being me, I just had to do it all by myself, and jump in at the deep end!
