I'm a massage therapist, healer, artist, medium, and author. No one asked me if I was a "born musician" when I started playing flute in the fourth grade. Nobody asked me if I'd been born a healer when I entered massage school in 1988, or if I was a "natural" artist when I started painting. Where do people get the notion that you need to be "born" a medium to communicate with those in spirit?

I started painting watercolors at age forty and become an award-winning artist, despite hearing how difficult it is to paint with watercolor. Inexplicably, I was compelled to begin the magical journey into mediumship almost a decade later. I heard the following phrases hundreds of times: "I didn't think mediumship was something you could learn," and, "I thought you had to be born that way." My response to those comments used to be, "I guess I'll find out." Many people would have been discouraged by continuously hearing these negative thoughts, and wouldn't have attempted to develop as a medium. I didn't let that sentiment stop me, although it sure didn't fill me with confidence about the odds of success.

The short answer to my question is that, yes, it's possible to "become" a medium. I did that. You could say that I "unfolded" mediumistic abilities that were innately a part of my spiritual being, and I won't argue. However, I spent almost fifty years without perceiving a deceased loved one (other than once in a dream visitation), and then, by choice and through intensive study and practice, I became an accurate and compassionate medium. I'm not unique; I know other mediums who chose to develop their abilities without previous spontaneous contact. We didn't require near-death experiences or other traumatic events to activate our abilities. We studied, practiced, and developed. We did it, so it can be done. Is it your turn?

Folks are surprised when I tell them that I learned to be a medium. Then they share their own stories about receiving signs and other forms of contact from those in spirit. Sometimes I'm the only person they tell because they fear their friends or family will think they're crazy. They don't recognize these experiences as mediumistic, nor realize how prevalent they are. I see their eyes light up as they open to the possibility that they, too, can communicate with those in spirit.

We're all intuitive. Intuition is part of our consciousness, whether or not we're aware of it. Encouraging our intuition enhances it, and can lead to what may be considered psychic abilities. Psychic ability is perception using senses other than our physical ones (sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch). It's a knowing or a feeling, and we all experience it. Many people have heightened intuition and experience spontaneous psychic abilities without effort. Some are less aware or tend to ignore their intuition, although they may follow a "hunch" without giving it much thought.

Mediumship is a psychic ability. All mediums are psychics, but not all psychics are mediums. My choice to focus exclusively on mediumship is like my decision to be a watercolor artist. I don't use oils, acrylics, pastels, or pencil, but strive to be the best watercolor artist I can be. All watercolor painters are artists, but not all artists paint watercolors. Mediums may choose (or be naturally inclined) to engage in other psychic activities like telepathy, divination, animal communication, and others. I channel all my intuition and psychic ability into developing my mediumship because that's what I want to excel in. This is my passion. What's yours?

So, let's get back to "becoming" a medium. I consider myself typical in terms of intuition. I tried psychic drawing and other exercises as a child. I consulted the I Ching in my twenties and have dabbled with tarot cards for decades. I had an average amount of moderately psychic experiences. In my world, that seems about normal. I've been a massage therapist and healer for over thirty years, which involves an awareness of energy fields and other non-physical realities. Still, helping people heal and working with auras is quite different than communicating with the dead.

I went to a small mediumship demonstration about ten years ago and found it fascinating. The more I experienced the healing work of mediums, the more I was drawn to it. I wanted to do that. That desire existed for two years before I made the leap to, "Maybe I can—I'm going to try!" And guess what? I could. My not-very-scientific conclusion is that if I can do it, so can almost anybody. That's why I wrote Choosing to Be a Medium: Experience & Share the Healing Wonder of Spirit Communication. My mediumistic path would have been much easier with support and encouragement. I felt I had to work harder because I wasn't "born that way." I feared I'd never be very good because that's what I'd heard about people who weren't "natural" mediums. Was I an "unnatural" medium?

Through passionate pursuit of mediumship development, including multiple visits to Arthur Findlay College in England and the help of expert teachers and much hard work, I realized I was, in fact, a medium. I sat in a development circle for years and gave well over a hundred practice readings before deciding to be a professional. My natural desire to teach and support others led me to teaching beginner mediumship, which has become a passion.

I believe we all have a direct connection to a Higher Power/Creator/Infinite Spirit/God and can nurture this relationship through meditation, prayer, and our own unique processes. We don't need a member of the clergy to intercede for us, although compassionate ethical clergy provide important support and help. Similarly, professional mediums have a valuable and healing purpose, but it's very empowering for individuals to learn that they, too, can connect with deceased loved ones.

Mediumship is a life-enriching skill available to most, if not all. You too can enjoy the healing wonder of spirit communication. I wrote Choosing to Be a Medium to reveal that almost anyone can communicate with spirit, and to teach how it's done. I want students to waste less time overcoming negativity than I did, and not worry that other people have stronger "gifts." I wish to make it easier for those who choose to follow this magical path. Mediumship is beautiful and healing; it's a sharing of love between this world and the other side. An abundance of mediums will make the planet a better place. I believe more people would choose this path if they knew it was a choice. Now you know. Are you ready to embark on this amazing journey?

The following are tips on how to become a medium. You'll find in-depth information on these suggestions (and more) in Choosing to Be a Medium.

1. Experience mediumship as a sitter so you know that it's real.
2. Find a mentor, or multiple teachers if possible.
3. Discover how to quiet your mind so you'll be able to perceive subtle messages.
4. Learn to ground, raise your vibration, and set your intention.
5. Study the different ways to perceive spirit people and their messages.
6. Work with people who can validate that you're connecting with their loved ones.
7. Sit in a mediumship development circle.
8. Practice self-care and create healthy boundaries.
9. Understand the ethics and responsibility of being a medium.
10. Develop your spirituality, which includes a love and respect for all beings.
11. Practice, practice, practice.

My life has been enriched by the study and practice of mediumship, and I know this development will continue to fulfill me for the rest of my days. Is mediumship development what you didn't know was missing from your life? If so, welcome to this fascinating and sacred path!