Healing Spirit with Love

Healing Spirit with Love

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When Pets Cross Over into Heaven

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Shadow_2012
Shadow (2012)

Animals, especially our pets, have a special place in many of our hearts. The unconditional love they share with us is a model for how we can love one another. Anyone who has fallen in love with their pet knows they give so much love and gratitude for our companionship and care. When it comes time for them to cross over into heaven, it is a loss that is felt deeply by all in the household, including other pets.

Surrounded by Loving Beings

When the time comes for our beloved animal companions to cross over to the Other Side, it can be a very emotional and heartbreaking time. It is comforting to know that our pets, just like human beings, are surrounded by spirit guides, loved ones in spirit, and the angels during their transition to heaven. Recently, when my cat, Shadow, passed, I asked the angels to show me his journey in order to share with you what happens when our pets cross over into heaven.

Spirit Guides Ease Their Transition

When Shadow passed, his spirit guides were there to show him the way to heaven. As with people, the guides are unique to the animal. Each being is born with a spirit guide who remains with them for their time on earth, and animals are no different. When pets cross over, their personal spirit guide is there, as well as deceased loved ones who knew them (people and animals), angels, past spiritual masters, and even God. The guides are there to inform them that their physical body has expired, indicating it is time to cross over into heaven. The pull of love is strong on earth, especially if there were deep bonds formed with their companion family. The guides gently let them know it is time to move on to heaven, and that they will never truly be separated from their earthly companions because the love they share will keep them connected. They let them know that, once they have crossed, they can visit in spirit with their loved ones on earth to give them comfort and signs that they are around. Like people, pets can be scared of being separated from loved ones and the life they knew; however, the angels bring peace to their hearts and minds, easing their transition.

Time for Orientation

In the same way that people have an orientation to heaven, animals are also given an introduction and an educational session about heaven. They learn about their new home, as well as what they can do while they are there, including how they can communicate and help their loved ones on earth. They are reunited with loved ones who have crossed over before them, including animal parents and siblings, as well as people who knew them and loved them. The angels, guides, and deceased loved ones often volunteer to watch over them as they await the arrival of their companion family on earth.

Grief Transformed Through Understanding

As with those of us on earth, our beloved pets do experience some sorrow during their transition to heaven. It is natural to feel a sense of loss for the life and companions they knew on earth; however, the grief does not last like it does on earth because the abundant peace and love of heaven embraces them. In addition, they are given the gift of knowledge and enlightenment that allows them to better understand the workings of the universe and their role in it. Any pain they felt in life disappears, and they are transformed into younger and healthier versions of themselves. They are free to run and play, make new friends, roll in the softest spring green grass, and curl up in the warmth of the sun with loved ones.

Visiting Loved Ones on Earth

Kitten bottle feeding
Shadow holding his own bottle. (September 2000)

After their initial period of transition has been completed and grief over your loss has eased, your pets will visit you on earth. You may catch a glimpse of them out of the corner of your eye or see images that remind you of them, you may feel them curled up next to you on the couch or bed, and you may also hear the joyful sounds they used to make just for you. When animals communicate with me both here and from the Other Side, it is very similar to the way human loved ones in spirit communicate with me. They use all of my senses to transmit their messages, and the thought impressions I receive are translated into a spoken language I understand. When they communicate with you, you may receive signs and messages through images, sounds, feelings, smells, and more. It is not a coincidence that the day after Shadow passed a video popped up on one of my social media newsfeeds of a very young kitten holding its own bottle as it was being fed kitten replacement milk. When I adopted Shadow into my heart almost fifteen years ago, he was only two weeks old. Because he was abandoned by his natural mother at such a young age, he needed to be bottle-fed kitten replacement milk. I thought it was adorable how Shadow would hold his kitten-sized bottle with his paws. On an interesting side note, all kittens and puppies are born with brilliant blue eyes, just like human babies. If an extremely young animal comes under your care, you should take it to the veterinarian as soon as possible. They have very special needs, ones that you would not even think about, that need to be immediately addressed.

Love Connection

Our beloved pets and companions leave impressions of their love on our hearts. The relationships we build and nurture on earth with all beings creates a bond that cannot be broken with the expiration of our physical bodies. Love is the strongest energy in the universe. It is the ultimate power that links each and every one of us together. It is the spark of life that created our souls, and when we find others whose spark grows and expands within each other’s company, we know we have found our soulmates, our twin flames, and our spiritual family.

Blessings and love to you and yours. May your soul be eased with the love of the angels.

In Memoriam of Shadow

Shadow_August 3, 2015In memory of my sweet and loving Shadow, who will always be my hero, loving companion, and special boy. Rest in peace and enjoy your time in heaven. Thank you for 15 glorious years of love on earth.

September 3, 2000 – August 3, 2015

 

How to Experience Heaven on Earth

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Hamilton PondDo you remember what life was like when you were a child? Do you remember the simplicity of your days and having the belief that anything was possible? As we grow, our responsibilities increase, we experience hardships, and we learn lessons about love and loss that may harden our hearts and block us from the magical possibilities that are a part of our existence each and every day.

Fear is the Ultimate Block

The human ego, which is the seat of our fears and insecurities, tries to protect us from further emotional pain by reminding us of our past hurts. It can be a very persistent and persuasive voice that tells us not to try again or that taking risks is hopeless because it will only bring pain, rejection, and disappointment. As well-meaning as the human ego can be, it can also be very detrimental if we grant it too much power over our lives.

Taking Risks Brings Rewards

The gift of the human ego was given to us as a challenge we are meant to learn to effectively manage. We cannot rid ourselves of it while residing on this earth, because it is as much a part of our physical existence as our human bodies. The best we can do is to learn how to recognize its influence in our daily decisions, thank it for its presence, and learn how to move beyond the limitations it tries to instill upon us. By taking risks and believing in the positive rewards that come from living our dreams, making new friends, and opening ourselves up to love relationships, we do expose ourselves to potential emotional pain. At the same time, though, we grant ourselves the opportunity to experience the greatest satisfaction and love that we can achieve in this lifetime.

Forge Ahead with Loving Power

By forging ahead with the loving power within our souls, we are fulfilling our destinies for this lifetime. To do this, you must know and love yourself first, believe in who you are, and move forward without fear. Silence the inner critic of the human ego that tells you that you are not good enough or that other people’s opinions and emotions are more powerful and important than your own. Are other people living your life? No. Do they know what it is like to be you? No. Remember, other people’s fears come to the surface, and they may try to press them upon you because they are afraid you might get hurt or they may inwardly feel jealous that you are willing to take risks. Again, these fearful emotions are coming from that persistent voice of the human ego. Our job is to learn how to recognize when we are receiving sound advice or information based on fact, and when we are receiving advice or information that is based solely on fear.

Choosing to Refocus

Once your human ego awareness filter has been activated, you can begin to experience the magic of heaven on earth. What other people think of you is not going to matter so much anymore. You can recognize when the human ego is trying to prevent you from living the life you are meant to live, and you can move right past the fears it throws in your path. This does not mean that you will never experience fear, it means that you have discovered the key to managing it. Emotional pain is a part of life, but it does not need to rule you. It does not last forever unless you choose to allow it to do so. The key part of that statement is the ability to choose. You are in control of your choices. How you choose to live is entirely up to you. When you are feeling stuck or fearful, that is the time to let go and let God. Enjoy simple pleasures in life, much like you did when you were a child. Sit or walk outside and enjoy the fresh air. Nature is one of the best rejuvenators. Immersing yourself in its beauty and appreciating the gifts of this earth will help remind you that life on earth can be beautiful when we take the time to recognize it. Release your concerns, regrets, and worries, and just be for a while. We all need time to refresh in order to shift our focus to what truly matters…the simplicity of being, of loving, and of knowing that we are loved in return by God and the universe.

Heavenly Help

I experience the magic every single day of my life. I constantly receive messages from heaven that provide me with guidance, comfort, and love. I am not the only one who can experience this. As a spirit medium, I am clearly tapped in to the energies of heaven; however, we all possess this gift to some degree. We are all connected to one another, both here and in heaven, through the heart of our spirits. Our heavenly support teams of loved ones in spirit, God, and the angels, fully support us every day with their love and guidance. They know how challenging life can be on earth, and they want to help us succeed on our journeys. By opening yourself up with faith, love, and confidence to the guidance and messages that come from your heavenly support team, you can experience the magic as well. Communications via our spirits is performed through all of our senses, and the more you learn about how it works, the better you will be at recognizing heaven’s presence on earth.

Learning More

If you are looking to learn about spirit communication, there are many resources available, including my book, How Have You Loved? Choose resources that resonate with you, and enjoy your journey.

Extraordinary Magic

There is so much more to life than meets the eye. I truly wish that everyone could see the universe the way I see it, and by sharing the knowledge and perspective I have gained through my communications with heaven, I hope to help as many people as possible to understand and experience the extraordinary magic within each one of us. If the human ego had its way, we would all live in fear, tied up in the mundane worries of grocery lists and other people’s opinions. There is magic out there in the world that expands well beyond the surface of our existence on earth, and the only way to experience it is to let go of your fears and believe.

Namaste!

With Light and Love,
Karen T. Hluchan

Spirit Medium, Motivational Speaker, Reiki Master, & Author of How Have You Loved?

www.HealingSpiritWithLove.com

Karen T. Hluchan is a spirit medium, motivational speaker, Reiki master, and author of How Have You Loved? Through her mediumship practice, Healing Spirit with Love, she devotes her time to the healing of spirit on earth through her connection with heaven. Her passion for her calling is shared through the spirit readings, demonstrations, and workshops she provides, as well as through her writing and Reiki. All of her work is inspired by the divine light that is within us all. She has a great love of nature, people, and the planet, and she enjoys her connection in spirit, both here and in heaven.
To learn more about Karen, who is based in Horsham, Pennsylvania, and her book, How Have You Loved?, visit her website at www.HealingSpiritWithLove.com.

How Soon After Passing Can a Loved One Communicate?

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19006270When our physical body expires on earth, our spirits, also referred to as our souls, continue to exist, as does the bond that connects us with one another. As a professional spirit medium, I experience firsthand knowledge from loved ones in spirit every day. The transfer of information is much more complicated than a fireside chat. It is a form of communication that utilizes all of my senses to share information between dimensions. It requires great attentiveness and energy to be open and receptive to the content sent through images, sounds, feelings, tastes, and smells. Moreover, the symbols our guys and gals in heaven use to convey their messages needs to be pieced together for the recipient in order to form a coherent message.

When Can Divine Communication Take Place?

Many people ask me how soon a loved one in spirit can communicate once they have crossed over. The answer is right away. I have experienced immediate communications from both animals and people. I would like to note that while communication is possible, not every being in spirit is skilled at communicating as soon as they cross over. Some are better at it than others. This is because they are older souls that have this knowledge stored within the memory banks of their spirit. I would also like to add that it is important to give your deceased loved ones time to adjust to their new reality. It is equally important to allow yourself time to grieve and adjust to the changes in your life caused by the loss of a loved one. People who are in the depths of strong grief need time to heal, and when they reach out to a spirit medium too soon, they may not be open and receptive to what their loved ones in spirit want to share. Grief and deep sadness have a tendency to block spiritual communications because a person’s main focus is on painful emotions and situations. Often, they only want to hear what they want to hear. Think of it this way: when you experience sharp physical pain, it tends to take over your mind and temporarily halt all other thoughts. In fact, all you can think about is how to rid yourself of the physical pain. It is similar with emotional pain that accompanies strong grief in which the hurt of loss blocks out all other thoughts other than how to relieve the heartache.

Healing and the Grief Process

The time it takes for each person to process grief and work through the healing process is unique to each individual. There are many factors that contribute to the effects of grief including, but not limited to, the way someone passed, the depth of the relationship shared, and personal beliefs about what happens to us when we pass. While it is healthy to mourn the passing of a loved one, it is not emotionally healthy to dwell in grief for extended periods of time. Choosing to remain in a state of perpetual sadness not only blocks you from living the life you are meant to live, but also prevents you from recognizing the signs and messages that loved ones may be sending from the Other Side. In addition, it does not change the fact that a loved one is no longer sharing an earthly experience with us. It is important to understand that our loved ones in spirit want us to go on with our lives and to try to experience as much joy as possible for the time we have on earth. If you need help in getting to this place, there are many resources available, such as grief counselors, life coaches, spirit mediums, friends, family, and more. Often, learning how to manage grief is one of the lessons to be learned for our souls in this lifetime. It is equally as important to understand that the bonds that we have with our loved ones and the love we share cannot be broken by the expiration of our physical bodies. Therefore, we are never truly separated from one another in spirit.

Guidance from the Other Side

Our guys and gals in heaven work from a place of light, love, and expanded knowledge. Their purpose for communicating with you, directly or through a spirit medium, is to bring healing and guidance to your life. A person who has reached a state of acceptance regarding a person’s passing is much more likely to get the most out of their reading with a spirit medium. This is because grief is no longer clouding his or her ability to be receptive to the information being shared. This does not mean that you do not miss your loved ones, it means that you have accepted that he or she has transitioned to heaven, and have made the conscious choice to continue your personal journey on this earth. When it is your time to cross over into heaven, you will be reunited with your loved ones in spirit, including any pets and animals that have made a significant impact on your life or you on theirs. In the meantime, your loved ones in spirit will continue to watch over you, as well as send you messages and signs letting you know that they are around.

They Communicate with You, Too!

Your loved ones in spirit use your senses, too, to let you know that they are around.* For example, they may place visual images in front of you that remind you of them. My father often uses signs related to firefighters and trains to let me know he is around. In addition, loved ones in spirit may play music in your head to give you answers to your prayers or that reminds you of them. You may also feel their presence, smell their perfume, or have strong taste cravings for the food they used to cook. They orchestrate these wondrous occurrences for you in ways that are challenging for the human mind to comprehend. Unfortunately, some people dismiss these occurrences and try to explain them away as coincidences. Nothing in this world is a coincidence, and it would truly amaze you to be able to comprehend the ways in which spiritual beings on the Other Side facilitate events on earth. They do so with our best interests at heart, and to help us navigate our journeys. Remember, they use a myriad of ways to get our attention, including our dreams.* When you see them there, it is your loved ones in spirit trying to help you to overcome your fears, to provide messages of comfort, and to help you to work through issues you face on a daily basis.

Namaste!

*Note: My book, How Have You Loved?, contains a lot of in-depth information about how your loved ones in spirit communicate with you, including how to interpret your dreams, why we are really here on earth, what we are to accomplish in our lifetimes, and how we can achieve our soul objectives.

With Light and Love,
Karen T. Hluchan

Spirit Medium, Motivational Speaker, Reiki Master, & Author of How Have You Loved?

www.HealingSpiritWithLove.com

Karen T. Hluchan is a spirit medium, motivational speaker, Reiki master, and author of How Have You Loved? Through her mediumship practice, Healing Spirit with Love, she devotes her time to the healing of spirit on earth through her connection with heaven. Her passion for her calling is shared through the spirit readings, demonstrations, and workshops she provides, as well as through her writing and Reiki. All of her work is inspired by the divine light that is within us all. She has a great love of nature, people, and the planet, and she enjoys her connection in spirit, both here and in heaven.
To learn more about Karen, who is based in Horsham, Pennsylvania, and her book, How Have You Loved?, visit her website at www.HealingSpiritWithLove.com.

Healing from Childhood Abuse: A Very Personal Journey with Divine Purposes for the Soul

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ChildSuffering from abuse as a child, whether it is verbal, physical, or sexual, can have a significant impact on your life as an adult. Often, people who are abused at a young age experience problems relating with others on a personal level. This is because their earliest experiences with relationships brought them pain, and eroded their trust and belief in others. The very people who were supposed to love and protect them introduced them to a world of hurt instead. Because of this treatment early in life, there are special challenges that people who are abused face regarding self-esteem, feelings of abandonment, a lack of feeling safe and loved, and the ability to trust others.

Fear of Retribution Leads to Underreporting and Unhealthy Relationships
Often, cases of abuse go unreported. Children who are abused are usually threatened by their abusers with more pain, or even death, if they tell someone about the horrors that they are living through. The people committing the abuse may also put the responsibility for the abuse on the children by telling them that it is their fault it is happening. Because children are in the formative stages of social development and look to adults for behavioral cues, they often accept the blame and internalize the resulting pain and confusion. Therefore, children often suffer in silence. In their minds, they are afraid to tell anyone and often pretend that they are happy, even when they are suffering. They become masters at hiding their feelings by keeping problems and secrets to themselves. They also may come to believe that their feelings are not as important as those of others, and may often put the needs of others before their own. These learned behaviors are a direct result of the way their abusers treated them. Tragically, this forms a skewed and damaged basis for future relationships for many of these children.

Healing Over a Lifetime
The personal journey of healing from childhood abuse may involve a lifetime of searching for peace, trust, safety, and love. Forgiveness plays a very important role in the healing process, as does learning how to love who you are. As adults, we can look back and try to make peace with what has occurred by extending forgiveness to all who have hurt us. Remember, forgiveness does not mean that you condone hurtful actions, it means that you consciously release painful situations in order to move forward with your life and growth. You may even get to the point where you see how these events made you more compassionate and empathetic toward others. Therapy and self-help books may also play an important role in working through the pain by learning how to relate to others and to build trust. Even though these steps may be taken, some people may still experience difficulties in their relationships. Because of the damage from the past, certain issues may trigger negative memories and, therefore, cause guards to be raised due to a perceived threat to their emotional or physical safety. Left unaddressed, the angst may build to unprecedented levels. The pressure may cause that person to withdraw from relationships, become depressed or even suicidal, lash out at others for seemingly no reason, express extreme fear or distrust, engage in unhealthy behaviors, cause self-inflicted pain, or exhibit other negative behaviors that are not easily comprehended by others.

Support and Love from Above
The true pathway to freedom from the effects of childhood abuse begins from within. It is a very spiritual and personal journey. People who are or have been abused need to know that their feelings matter, that their voice is heard, and that they are safe and loved. They also need to know that their experiences were not a punishment from God. As a person who has experienced childhood abuse firsthand, I know this journey well. I have traversed every aspect of its effects and have searched high and low for the reasons, as well as how I can heal and get back the trust and feeling of safety that was taken from me. From the depths of my soul, I have searched for ways to help myself and others with these issues. Therapy has helped; however, the most powerful answers and guidance I have received have come from my heavenly support team, including God. In order to receive the information, I had to go within and pay attention to what they were communicating with me through my soul.

My First Meeting with God
The first time God came to me, I was struggling with relationship issues. I felt like I was running on a treadmill of recycling negative issues and going nowhere fast. I was getting mad at God and asking why I was experiencing the same issues over and over again. In great despair one night, I cried myself to sleep, feeling hopeless and broken. When I woke up the next morning, I laid in bed not ready to get up yet and face the day. It was then that I experienced an incredible wash of love that came over me, accompanied by a brilliant white light that filled my vision. The feeling and the light were so strong and all-encompassing that I knew it was not of this earth. I knew in my soul that it was God sending his love directly to me, and that he wanted me to know, without a doubt, that I was loved. It was such a profound and magnificent experience that I never wanted it to end. Even now as I write about it, that feeling of love is still there, and I know that I can reach out and feel it in my soul whenever I need help. It was God’s way of telling me that he loves me and is always there for me whenever I need him.

My Second Meeting with God
The second time God came to me was during a similar time a few years later. I was getting so mad at God and asking him why he was testing me with painful situations over and over again. I felt I had suffered enough in my lifetime, and I wanted to know why he felt it necessary to keep torturing me. As before, I cried myself to sleep. The next morning, I awoke and did not get out of bed right away. As I lay there, I had a vision of being carried in God’s arms up a large, white staircase which looked like it was made of marble. God was carrying me like he would a baby, cradled in the safety of his arms and wrapped in his love. He was wearing a long and flowing white robe with a sash cinched at the waist. At the time, I could not see his face. As he carried me up the steps, he assured me that he was not testing me. He said he was my father and, like a father, it was not his job to step in and save me from all of the difficult situations I encountered. If he did, I would not learn or grow. He said it was hard to watch me struggle, but he knew that if he stepped in it would do me more harm than good. God told me he loved me and that he was always there for me, even when he could not intervene. He also said we are to love one another as he loves us—unconditionally, and that it is our connection with one another that makes us strong. As he climbed the wide steps, I could see a landing and then a second set of steps extending up to a place where a blinding white light shone. It actually hurt my eyes to look at it. I knew with all of my soul this was the light of heaven, and that it was not my time to go there yet. As we reached the first landing, I noticed two white thrones sitting side by side. They were exact replicas, except in size. God set me down on the landing and sat in the larger throne while guiding me to sit in the smaller throne to his left. He reached his left hand out and took my hand in his. Without words, we sat holding hands like old friends sitting together in the comfortable silence of each other’s company.

Profound Experiences Lead to Profound Understanding
Those profound experiences with God shook up my world. My understanding of why we are here and what we are meant to accomplish started to open up. There was never a doubt in my mind that God exists, I just was not sure of what his role was in my life until then. Instead of seeing God as the one responsible for my pain, I saw him as a friend, a father, and an almighty being who loved me enough to know when to step back and let me grow. Through further exploration with my heavenly support team, I received messages about the soul contracts we make before we are reborn on earth. Many of these contracts contain agreements to experience difficult circumstances in order to grow as souls. Instead of viewing my abuse as a karmic punishment from God, I saw it as a profound experience for learning how to reconnect with the heart of my spirit and to understand our true reasons for being.

Misguided, Not Evil
On an important note, the people who commit the act of abuse are not inherently evil. They are misguided human beings who also have difficult lessons to learn in their lifetimes. Believe it or not, we made the agreement through a soul contract to experience painful circumstances that were meant to push each of us to learn and become better people. Whether we actually do learn and grow is entirely up to each individual. For those who are abused, there are many lifetime lessons including learning how to reconnect with the beauty of our souls, how to forgive, and how to trust in God and others. People who have committed abuse have lifetime lessons of their own, including learning about how hurting others hurts themselves, how to respect and honor the self and others, as well as how to overcome the internal shame and pain of mistreating others.

Reconnecting with Your Heavenly Support Team
Whether you have been abused, committed abuse, or are in relationships affected by abuse, we are all here to learn lessons about love, forgiveness, and compassion. We can help each other in positive ways by speaking and working from the heart, and reconnecting with the best friends we will ever have – ourselves and God. You and God are together on this journey, and it is a relationship that is built upon love and trust. I did not always trust God because of the difficult experiences I had in my life, but now I do, and I find I have more peace in my heart than I have ever had before. This does not mean I no longer fall back from time to time into feelings of angst. It means I am quicker to recognize and understand why I am experiencing upsetting emotional reactions. I now know how to better handle the situations that trigger those feelings. Trust and love is built. Sometimes it takes baby steps to get there, especially when you have experienced hurtful circumstances during the foundational years of your life. Your guys and gals in heaven have your back, and they will help you. Your job is to trust in their assistance, and follow through on the guidance you receive from them through repeated signs and messages.

May Peace be with You
Be at peace, and know that everything you experience has a divine purpose. God is not punishing you; rather, he is helping you to grow into the beautiful being that you are today. Our job is to help ourselves and others to heal through compassion and love, as well as through faith in the divine circumstances that help us to grow as souls.

Namaste!

With Light and Love,
Karen T. Hluchan

Spirit Medium, Motivational Speaker, Reiki Master, & Author of How Have You Loved?

www.HealingSpiritWithLove.com

Karen T. Hluchan is a spirit medium, motivational speaker, Reiki master, and author of How Have You Loved? Through her mediumship practice, Healing Spirit with Love, she devotes her time to the healing of spirit on earth through her connection with heaven. Her passion for her calling is shared through the spirit readings, demonstrations, and workshops she provides, as well as through her writing and Reiki. All of her work is inspired by the divine light that is within us all. She has a great love of nature, people, and the planet, and she enjoys her connection in spirit, both here and in heaven.
To learn more about Karen, who is based in Horsham, Pennsylvania, and her book, How Have You Loved?, visit her website at www.HealingSpiritWithLove.com.

Working with the Darker Side of Human Nature

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Eastern State Penitentiary Cellblock 7
Cellblock 7 at Eastern State Penitentiary

Recently, a friend of mine asked me if I would like to visit the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The penitentiary was in operation for 142 years, and closed in the 1970s. While it was in operation, thousands of inmates inhabited its cell blocks for crimes as minor as petty larceny and as major as multiple murders. After it closed in the 1970s, it lay abandoned for years. While actively in operation, it was designated as an official historical site and, because of that, it retained a protected status. In the 1980s, the penitentiary was reopened for tours. Over the past few decades, restoration of the site has been underway. Many people claim that it is haunted by the souls of those who were imprisoned there. Because I was curious about the energies that I would pick up on there, as well as the spirits of those who had the misfortune of being incarcerated at this historic institution, I agreed to take a day trip and open myself up to a unique way of learning about people of the past.

Eastern State Penitentiary_Hospital Cellblock
Hospital cellblock at Eastern State Penitentiary

Why Explore the Darker Side?
Given that I would be connecting in spirit with some of the country’s most nefarious criminals, some people may question why I would voluntarily expose myself to the inevitable scenes of violence, negative feelings, troubled personalities, and more that the men and women of the past would send me. My answer to this is simple: I believe in learning from every experience in life. Both positive and negative experiences have a lot to teach us. As a spirit medium, I am exposed to many cathartic experiences that I do not necessarily want to see, feel, or hear; however, it is only through research and experiences with beings from all walks of life that I can learn about, and strive to understand, the depth of human nature.

Individual cell at Eastern State Penitentiary.
Individual cell at Eastern State Penitentiary.

Exploring the Past through Mediumship
Walking into the castle-like fortress, I opened up to spirit in order to reach back into the past to see what it was like for prisoners who were incarcerated there. I mentally sent the intention to my spirit guides to focus on the earliest days of the penitentiary. Immediately, I picked up on the energies of the people who were initially housed in the cells. Extreme loneliness, depression, and even madness pervaded the souls while in residence. Each one was confined to an individual cell with no contact with human beings, other than limited communication with the guards and the chaplain. Due to the lack of human contact, they often spoke out loud to themselves and suffered from hallucinations. Solitary confinement did not reform them; it depleted them of their humanness and their ability to relate to others. Reality became a blur. They no longer knew what was real or what was a figment of their imagination. Paranoia and desperation clawed at their souls. It did not matter whether they committed petty crimes or the more serious crime of murder…each one of them was kept in solitary confinement for years at a time. Some of them adjusted, but most of them suffered from delusions and depression.

Reform through Solitary Penitence – A Revolutionary Idea
When the facility opened in the 1800s, the founders thought that the best way to reform convicted felons was penitence in solitude. The idea was that this would give the person time to think about their crimes and search for forgiveness from God. This revolutionary idea was conceived as an answer to the problems that had emerged from keeping prisoners in one holding cell together. In the past, prisoners who congregated together usually emerged from prison with quite an education in crime. However, before the construction of the final cellblocks from the original design was completed, the architecture was altered to include a second story. The number of people incarcerated had greatly increased, and it was not long before solitary confinement was no longer possible.

Eastern State Penitentiary_Cellblock 5
Cellblock 5 at Eastern State Penitentiary

Cellblock Five
Eastern State Penitentiary is a very unique structure. It has a round rotunda in the center of the building from which the main cellblocks spread outwards, making it look like a large asterisk from an aerial view. When standing in the center, you can see down the corridors of each of the main cellblocks. When I glanced toward cellblock five, I picked up on some very strong negative energies. I believe there were two reasons for this. The first piece of information I picked up on was the unfair treatment of the men of color who were confined there. It was a segregated cellblock, and prior to the civil rights movement, the men incarcerated at the penitentiary were treated as though their lives were not as important as others. The lives of these men were devalued, and violence toward them from guards and other prisoners was often overlooked. The second piece of information I picked up on had to do with riots. I kept getting the impression that a riot originated on that cellblock, possibly the last riot that took place in 1961. I performed some research on this and have not yet uncovered whether a major riot started there.

Not Ghosts or Lost Souls
There was so much energy and information I was picking up from the spirits who were sharing information with me about their stay at the penitentiary. All of the souls I communicated with that day had crossed over into heaven. They were not ghosts or souls that were lost or stuck in purgatory, nor were they in “hell.” Hell is a concept designed to instill fear as a way of preventing negative behavior on earth. To me, hell is not a place but a state of mind that can be reached through our own actions on this plane. These souls were communicating with me from the Other Side. Their demeanors were calm as they conveyed the stories of their lives. Energetically, they felt lighter than those who have not crossed over into heaven. Souls who are temporarily stuck between heaven and earth feel energetically heavy due to their unresolved sadness and frustration. They do eventually cross over to receive healing, and it is often the angels who help guide them back to heaven’s gateway.

Death Row Stories from the Other Side

Death Row, Eastern State Penitentiary
Spirit Medium Karen T. Hluchan communicating with spirits on Death Row at Eastern State Penitentiary.

The most interesting experience I had was on Death Row. As soon as I walked in, I felt several souls rush forward wanting to communicate with me. I sensed that some of them were maniacal or deranged during their lifetimes on earth. Several had suffered from acute mental illness that led to an extreme lack of empathy in their lifetimes for their victims. I asked one man to step forward to tell me his story. He sent me lightning-quick flashes of images of him committing his crimes accompanied by three words: murder, rape, molestation. I could smell the smoke of his cigarettes in the air and sense that he was about 5’10” or 5’11”. He was decidedly thin with pock-marked skin, and he walked in a laidback manner in which he slightly leaned back making his legs and hips move forward before the rest of him. He was remorseful. In fact, all of them were. I did not realize it at first, but as soon as I had set foot on death row and reached out to those in spirit, my head bent down to the point where I was looking at the floor. A feeling of shame was transmitted through the link. My friend who was with me commented on how my head remained in that position the entire time I was in the cellblock. It is interesting to note that the man in spirit told me that all of the men who were on death row at the penitentiary belonged there, not just for the crimes they were convicted of, but also for the ones they got away with.

Healing in Heaven
Despite what people think, all souls have the option to go to heaven and receive healing. God is the ultimate forgiver, and when people commit heinous crimes on earth, they are given the opportunity to heal and do better the next time. Souls that behave in such a negative fashion are usually very young souls that are living from a place of fear rather than love. That fear drives them to perform acts that harm themselves and others. Perhaps the environment in which they are raised, as well as their mental stability, impact their behaviors. That is not to say that the parents are to blame. There could be many extenuating factors present in society that drives someone to choose a life of crime. We are all in control of our choices, though, and when people are mentally unstable or are continually exposed to negative circumstances, sometimes people choose to take the low road or the road that gets them to where they want to be regardless of the consequences. Judgments such as that often have severe consequences not only for the people who are their victims, but also for the perpetrator because crimes committed against others are crimes committed against themselves.

Spiritual Explorations Lead to Enlightenment
When I originally agreed to the exploratory field trip to Eastern State Penitentiary, I was not sure what I would experience or be shown by those in spirit. I was not concerned about demons, negative entities, or possession, because these are human concepts born out of fear. I knew that I would see, feel, and hear things through my spiritual connection that would be unpleasant and, at times, horrific. I also knew I could turn off the connection at any time. If I felt I needed extra assistance, I could always call on God or Archangel Michael to help extricate me from a negative spiritual situation. I rest comfortably in the knowledge that I am safe and loved by God and the angels. I know that fear has the power to create illusions that seem very real. One of our tasks on earth is to learn how to manage the emotions that are based in fear in order to navigate past them to the truth. Through my spiritual connections and mediumship abilities, I have learned that all of us are connected to one another through the most powerful energy in the universe—love. All of the work I do originates from love, as does my connection to every being. We are all spiritual beings on journeys of the soul. Moreover, we are learning lessons that enable us to grow and evolve in the light and love from which we were created.

Namaste!

With Light and Love,
Karen T. Hluchan

Spirit Medium, Motivational Speaker, Reiki Master, & Author of How Have You Loved?

www.HealingSpiritWithLove.com

Karen T. Hluchan is a spirit medium, motivational speaker, Reiki master, and author of How Have You Loved? Through her mediumship practice, Healing Spirit with Love, she devotes her time to the healing of spirit on earth through her connection with heaven. Her passion for her calling is shared through the spirit readings, demonstrations, and workshops she provides, as well as through her writing and Reiki. All of her work is inspired by the divine light that is within us all. She has a great love of nature, people, and the planet, and she enjoys her connection in spirit, both here and in heaven.
To learn more about Karen, who is based in Horsham, Pennsylvania, and her book, How Have You Loved?, visit her website at www.HealingSpiritWithLove.com.

Spirit Medium Readings: A Two-Part Process

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Spirit Medium Karen T. HluchanWhen you sit for a spirit medium reading with me, there are two parts to the reading for each loved one in spirit who comes through. The first part of the reading involves identifying the loved one coming through, and the second part of the reading involves the sharing of his or her personal message for you. It is very important to identify who is there in spirit before sharing the message, because who it is coming from is as important as the message itself. Without knowing the identity of the message sender, some messages would make little to no sense to the receiver.

How Information is Transmitted
When spiritual beings communicate with me, they utilize all of my senses—sight, hearing, touch, smell, taste, and inner-knowing (the sixth sense)—for mind to mind communication. Instead of processing information that is picked up by the senses and sent to the brain from outside of myself, I need to focus within to pick up on the information that is being transferred to me from your loved ones in spirit. The process is much more complex than just sitting down and talking with someone. Spiritual beings no longer inhabit a physical body and, therefore, must use their minds and other energetic means to communicate across dimensions. It is an abstract form of communication that requires absolute trust, openness, and receptivity from me, openness and receptivity from you, and clarity and loving strength from your loved ones in spirit.

Confidentiality and Ethics
As a spirit medium, it is my job to clearly relay the information I am receiving in an ethical, honest, and responsible way. It is a great honor to be able to serve you and all spiritual beings through my gifts, and I treat each communication that I receive and share with the reverence it deserves. Because of the very private information that is shared in a reading, I also take your confidentiality very seriously. While, in a teaching setting, I may give examples of certain communications that come through in a reading, I do not disclose names or identities. Private information remains private. This even holds true for my own family members. When I provide a reading, the information remains confidential. It is up to the person sitting for the reading to share what he or she wants to divulge with others.

Part One: Validating the Identity of the Communicator

Questions and Responses
When giving a reading, I have a set of questions that I ask your loved ones in spirit when you and I are working together to identify them. The questions are basic in the beginning, and then they become more in-depth as we go deeper into the validation process. For instance, I ask “Are you male or female?” and “What did you look like?” In response, I receive warmth on the right or left side of my body to indicate male or female, and I am sent an image of your loved one which usually shows what they looked like close to the time of their passing, as you would remember them best, or as they would like to be remembered. The image that they send not only shows me how they looked, but also may give me keys to understanding your loved one’s personality and identity, as well as the relationship they have with you. For instance, when a man comes through wearing red or maroon, this indicates to me that he is a father figure to you. If he is wearing a flannel shirt, it indicates that he may have been more of the outdoorsy type who preferred to spend time outside more than inside. At the same time, he may be creating a tingling sensation in both my hands and sending me an image of a machine shop, indicating that he worked with his hands using the machinery that I am seeing.

Identifying the Communicator
As the information is transmitted, I share it with you, the sitter. When I have gathered enough specific information that could help you to identify a loved one, I will ask whether this person or animal (pets do come through!) sounds familiar to you. The best answer you can give is yes, no, or I don’t know. If the person sounds familiar, but you are not quite sure of who it is, please state that. More information will be brought forth to help you identify them. If you say no and continue to do so as more information is brought forth, I will have to ask your loved one to step aside, and a message from that particular loved one will not be shared. It is important to note that when loved ones come through in a reading, they are yours. They are not mine, nor are they random beings popping in to intrude on your reading. They could be a deceased friend, family member, a pet of yours or of someone you know or knew, neighbor, in-law, acquaintance, or co-worker. It could be a great grandmother that you never met, but who knows you from seeing you from heaven. If this is the case, there may be records, photographs, and people still living that may be able to help you confirm the identity of the person coming through.

My best advice is to keep an open mind. You never know who is going to come through in a reading, nor do you know how they are going to come through, or what messages they will share with you. Remember, they are coming through with information from their point of view, not yours, and they also have the benefit of understanding more about life on earth now that they are in heaven.

Deeper into the Validation
As I am sharing information with you, I am, at the same time, asking for more information from your loved one in spirit about what he or she did for a living, and how he or she passed. You do not hear that part of the communication because I am asking those questions directly to your loved ones in spirit using my mind, not speaking them out loud. In addition to seeing what the communicator looked like, they will also send me symbols that mean something to you, and will help you to identify them. For example, as I was describing a father figure who was coming through, he sent me an image of a lemon. I asked the sitter if this meant something to her in relation to her father, and she replied that it did…her father used to eat lemons raw. This piece of information, in addition to the description of him and various other factors about his personality, what he did for a living, and how he passed, confirmed for her that it was indeed her father. He was well-known for eating this unique culinary delight. The symbols are unique for each individual, and are sent to help trigger your memories of them.

As I mentioned, all of my senses are utilized during a spirit medium reading, and your loved ones in spirit may be communicating with me utilizing several of them at the same time. This rapid overlapping of visions, sounds, tastes, smells, feelings, and knowingness creates a richer and more detailed communication that helps both you and me to identify and understand the messages that are being conveyed. For instance, when I am trying to identify how a person passed, I may be feeling a push like an impact in the region of my chest, seeing a car rolling over, and hearing the word “accident” all at the same time. This indicates to me that the person most likely passed due to an impact to the chest during a car accident.

Wanting to Hear from a Particular Loved One
If for some reason a loved one in spirit does not come through in a reading, it does not mean that they do not love you or want to communicate with you. There are many reasons why this might happen. For instance, other loved ones in spirit may want to share messages during a particular reading because the message coming from them would have a greater impact on your life. It may also be too soon to hear from someone in spirit. Even though contact can be made with loved ones who are recently passed, it is a good idea to give both them and you time to adjust to the transitions that have occurred. For those of us on earth, we need time to grieve. For those who have passed, they need time to reorient themselves to heaven. In most cases, it is good to wait at least two months before sitting for reading in which you hope to hear from a person who has passed. That said, when people ask to hear from a particular person I cannot guarantee that they will come through. I can ask them to join us for the reading; however, it is up to your loved one in spirit whether they come through at that time. Free will is a gift that is ours to keep, including after we cross over into heaven.

Let the Information Flow
Your loved ones in spirit do their best to convey information in a way that helps you to readily identify who they are in order to get to the heart of the reading, which is their personal message to you. One way to bog down this process is to continually interject questions such as, “What is their name?” or “If this is really my cousin, where did she go on vacation in 1972?” If it is appropriate for your loved ones in spirit to furnish this information in a reading, they will do so without prompting. They do not have time during a reading to give every minute detail of your life or theirs. They truly are doing their best to communicate. Some loved ones in spirit are more skilled than others at communicating with spirit mediums. Like any skill, it is knowledge that is learned, and some have had more practice at it than others.

Even though you may have a set idea in your mind about the information you would like to receive, it is important to know that I, as the spirit medium, receive only the information that is shared by your loved ones in spirit. He or she decides the type of information to be imparted, and this might not include preconceived notions of what you think they would share with you. Continually interjecting with questions has the potential to disrupt the flow of spirit-to-spirit communication, which requires a steady energetic connection and level of concentration that exceeds every day communications.

In my mind, I like to think of us as a team working together in harmony to transmit, receive, and share communications across the dimensions. By permitting communications to naturally flow from their spirit through mine to yours, you are allowing your loved ones in spirit to convey messages in the way they think is best, which will help you to get the most out of your reading. After you have identified your loved one in spirit and they have shared their messages with you, you can ask questions of them if you have them.

Part Two: Personal Messages for You

Sharing Knowledge, Love, and Guidance
Once the identity of your loved one in spirit has been established, it is time for part two of the communication process with your loved one in spirit – his or her personal messages for you. There is always an important reason for a loved one coming through in a reading. Often, they share messages of import regarding your life. This could be about events that occurred in the past, are occurring presently, or will occur in the future. Your loved ones in spirit watch over you from heaven, and they know what you are in need of with regard to your life. That said, what they share with you is not trivial. They have gone through a lot of effort to communicate across dimensions, and what they share could have a profound effect on your life and the evolution of your soul.

Messages of love, forgiveness, guidance, and more are shared with the hope that you, the sitter, will be open and receptive to the messages. For example, I have had loved ones in spirit come through asking for forgiveness for abusive treatment, neglect, or having a hard time sharing love. The forgiveness that he or she is asking for is not for the benefit of the communicator, but for the recipient of the reading. It may be imperative for the sitter to release all of the pent up negativity and resentment against this person in order to move on with his or her life, and begin to establish healthier relationships with others. Other times, loved ones come through to let a sitter know that they are, indeed, in heaven and at peace, and that his or her passing was meant to be. Each message that comes through is crafted with divine love, and gets to the heart of matters that are most important to the sitter from the viewpoint of heaven. It is up to the sitter whether he or she chooses to accept the information given, and to use it in a way that uplifts and improves his or her life.

Equally Important
Both parts of a spirit medium reading are equally important to you, the sitter. Validating the identity of the being coming through establishes the connection between you and your loved ones in spirit, and also provides the background context for the messages you are about to receive from them. The messages that come through from your loved ones in spirit contain invaluable pieces of information that come from the heart of their spirit to yours, and are divinely conceived and directed.

It is my hope that this article provided you with a more thorough understanding of how spirit communication works, as well as an appreciation for the complex process of communicating spirit-to-spirit. I also hope that it allows you to get the most out of your next spirit medium reading.

Namaste!

With Light and Love,
Karen T. Hluchan

Spirit Medium, Motivational Speaker, Reiki Master, & Author of How Have You Loved?

www.HealingSpiritWithLove.com

Karen T. Hluchan is a spirit medium, motivational speaker, Reiki master, and author of How Have You Loved? Through her mediumship practice, Healing Spirit with Love, she devotes her time to the healing of spirit on earth through her connection with heaven. Her passion for her calling is shared through the spirit readings, demonstrations, and workshops she provides, as well as through her writing and Reiki. All of her work is inspired by the divine light that is within us all. She has a great love of nature, people, and the planet, and she enjoys her connection in spirit, both here and in heaven.
To learn more about Karen, who is based in Horsham, Pennsylvania, and her book, How Have You Loved?, visit her website at www.HealingSpiritWithLove.com.
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