The “Erik Encounters” page finally works, thanks to blog member, Terese Newman!  If you’ve had any crazy pranks or visits from that mischievous boy, share them on that page. We all love them.

I had a couple of  pretty cool pranks, the most recent one yesterday. Okay. The backstory. As you can imagine, my days are very full and hectic. That along with my OCD prompts me to have to-do lists both on iCal on my iPhone and on index cards. I even put down “bathe” so I could cross it off my list afterwards. It’s so satisfying My family thinks it’s funny. Erik sure did. So three days ago the index card went missing. It’s always on the coffee table by the sofa where I work on my laptop. Always. 

Of course I panicked and started to look everywhere: my car, all of the rooms and their cabinets and drawers, under all of the couches, in all of the trashcans (I emptied all of them completely and one by one, placed every piece back in outside. Gross.) I even looked in the toaster oven and refrigerator. That’s how frantic I was. I never found it. I cried because I thought this was the early signs the dementia, something that plagued my mother for 10 horrible years. Then I suspected Erik because he hid my index card long ago. I looked everywhere I could. I even emptied out my purse twice. Eventually I gave up and a couple of hours later found it sticking up three inches out of my purse. 

Yesterday, he did it again. I was pissed because surely he saw how scared I was. Like the other times, I checked everywhere. I lifted up my computer and looked under it two different times. Then I took my dog, Bella, out to pee, came back inside and reached out to get my laptop so I could get back to work. You guessed it. There was the index card under it. I think he let me see it that time because then I would be positive that it was Erik’s handiwork, dismissing any fears of having dementia.

If any of you have had things hidden only to have them reappear, please share it with us! Be sure to hang onto your jewelry though.

Okay, back to business. 

Me: What do you suggest people do who think they have the gift of mediumship or psychic abilities, specifically if they live in parts of the country where this subject is taboo, which is almost everywhere, especially the Bible Belt!

Jamie (exasperated): Tell me about it.

For those of you who don’t know, she lives in Georgia.

Me: Yeah, I can’t believe you’re in the Bible Belt. That’s just the worst place you can be!

Jamie laughs.

Erik: Use it for yourself; test it for yourself; get a journal—

Me: What do you mean?

Erik (in a deep southern drawl): I’m explaining! I’m explaining!

Jamie and I laugh.

Erik: So, get a piece of paper or a journal, and start writing down all of your psychic intuitions—your feelings, the thoughts and visions you’re having, etc.

Me: And see if they come true?

Erik: Yeah. Right, right. So then later, when you’re living your life, you can go back and see which ones were accurate. This is a great, really private way to run this test on yourself. Really, what it does is get your head to acknowledge all of the abilities that you’re using to be very accurate and common. Then you can define how you’re actually doing it. Is it mostly feelings? Is it mostly through visions? Do they come through daydreams or night dreams? Are you hearing it? Is it running through your head like a video?

Me: Mm hmm.

Erik: So when you figure that out, you build a vocabulary around it so you can explain it to people. Once you can describe it, then I’d look at your belief system around it. Is this ability you have a sixth sense and doesn’t require a religious belief for it to occur? In my personal opinion, that’s totally what it is. Every person has the right to this ability, but it’s so phenomenal and it’s so sensitive that it creates these very spiritual emotions. So we instantly think our personal ability to have this sixth sense should be seen as a greater service to the whole. You need to define what that is before you start speaking up. Then, tricks of the trade that everyone should know—

Jamie listens to Erik for a few seconds.

Jamie (giggling): That’s so true!

Erik: Tricks of the trade: If you feel like you want to share it with someone, use the words that people will understand. Example: “I had a dream, and in that dream, you blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

Jamie: This is when I said, ‘That’s so true,’ and I’ve heard other spirits say the same thing.

Erik: People all have dreams. They can relate to a dream, and they could accept it as being oddly accurate or oddly weird, but they’ll listen. Or, you could have a “bright idea.” “You know, I have this weird idea. It just like popped into my head. All of these words are acceptable, and they mean that you’re intuitive, but they’re not going to know that. They’re going to think, “Oh, we’re talking heady stuff, and this is just an idea.” But then you start sharing some of this stuff, and, if people are responsive to it, then share information like this a few more times, and you’ll be able to share your true ability with them.

Me: Okay. Well, what about mediumship?

Erik: Oh, getting from, “I had a dream that you’re dead grandmother talked to me and told me blah, blah, blah?” to—

Me: Well, telling it –

Erik: You grow and practice it through those experiences.

Me: What about people who don’t think they have any of these abilities?

Erik: Everyone does. Everyone. Anyone who’s reading this can do these same things to become aware of their gifts and develop them.

Me: Some people eventually want to earn a living with those gifts like Jamie does, but they have this thing about charging, and some people viciously attack mediums and psychics when they do charge. As a doctor, I’ve charged for my services even though I consider it a calling to serve the greater good. A priest, minister, or whatever gets money from the congregation. So I don’t see anything wrong with it.

Erik: Mediums and psychics can do some of it for free, but they have to charge something to feed their family and put a roof over their heads. Plus, not charging blocks energy. You need that sense of honest exchange. If you don’t, your gifts aren’t going to be as good as they should be.

Me: That makes sense.

Erik: People don’t realize that mediums and psychics only have so much energy to do readings. They can’t do hundreds a day, so it’s not like they can charge 10 bucks a pop. They have to charge a price that will support them financially based on how many sessions they can do. They’ll be days when they don’t feel good. Maybe their energy is low.

Me: I think you and I working together has helped me develop some abilities. I’d love to have more.

Erik: It’s called practice, Mom.

I laugh. He’s so right. Still, how can I squeeze it into that space between “get mail” and “bathe?”