Inula Austin Soul Growth

As a teacher of Mediumistic and Psychic Development I regularly find myself eulogising about the incredible, life-fullfilling, and affirming benefits of being able to develop and deliver appropriate, ethical and evidential spirit contacts.

I would be wholly remiss however, if I failed in my duty of care to potential students, by not talking about the pitfalls and difficulties associated with such development. 

We are ALL on a journey of soul growth, whether we are conscious of that or not. As spirit beings in physical form we have come into this current expression of physicality in order to evolve, develop and experience, to expand toward a greater, unified Wholeness.

Each of us has our own history from this and perhaps, many other lives that adds a richness and depth to our spirit, our personality.
We all face struggles as it is through these that we grow.

When one seeks to formally develop the inherent Soul Senses (psychic faculties) one must sit in what is known as ‘The Power’. This is a condensed form of creative energy, often known as the Holy Spirit, Shekinah, Life Force Energy, it is the energy of Source. A Circle provides the psychic power to charge a developing medium’s own psychic battery, helped by more developed mediums sat within the circle, along with those helpers on the Other Side of Life who also provide and stabilize these cosmic forces.

This is not magic or hocus-pocus, it is Natural Law.

These powers and energies are designed to help bring an individual’s Soul Senses to the fore to begin and continue the process of spiritual unfoldment. Unfoldment may be seen as ‘peeling the onion’, stripping back layers of the ego self to reveal the Soul at the very core. It is from here that the best Mediumship work occurs.
This often has a hot-housing effect and acts as a magnification of elements that make up the soul/spirit/psyche of an individual.
We all carry wounds and unhealed parts of ourselves. No one is ever fully healed. Life is an ongoing process of meeting and releasing what has been outgrown and no longer serves. But for those who carry particular traumas (whether or not they are undergoing therapeutic healing), development can be a danger.

If you accept the process of developing psychic abilities and/or mediumship as having an amplifying effect on your current psychological and personal state (warts and all), it may be very important to ask yourself; ‘am I happy to magnify the positive and negative aspects of my life at this moment?’

What I have found is that those with little self – awareness will often opt to jump in feet first, regardless. They will want to push ahead, thinking that there is always an exception to every rule, and they are it. (This is also a great argument for Personal Development/Self Awareness courses to run prior to or at least concurrently with any Psychic or Mediumship Development course.) At the very least, you should try to find a teacher who is well aware of the mechanics of development and who can guide you properly and mitigate for any harm.

Another class of individuals who may turn a deaf ear to sensible development protocol are those who label themselves as ‘naturally gifted’.

Often, these individuals will shun any education or formal training as they believe it is unnecessary in their case. Again, these are usually the very people who would benefit greatly from training.

Those who carry trauma, whether it has been identified or not, are particularly vulnerable to the often natural purging cycles of the psyche that take place throughout development.

I have found personally that anything which is unhealed within the physical, emotional or mental bodies will rise to the surface of one’s consciousness in order to be recognized and released. This may cause not one, but many so-called ‘dark nights of the soul’ as you are asked to confront  patterns, habits and beliefs that have simply out grown their necessity.

This may be doable for most people, but everyone reacts differently, and the very people who are drawn to developing psychically and spiritually are already very sensitive souls. Those in a circle environment going through these shifts may need extra support or counseling to assist them in navigating some very choppy waters.

Anyone who has a diagnosed or undiagnosed psychiatric disorder should stay away from development. Here’s why;

• Your own health should always be your #1 priority.
• You are likely to experience psychological burnout quicker (and for more prolonged periods) than those without any significant psychological issues.
• We can not hope to heal others from the unhealed places within ourselves.
• If your own life is unstable, you are not in a position to bring stability to others (which is an important element of mediumship work).
• You may be retraumatised or your symptoms made worse by the energies used in development.
• Spiritual Development may provide a wonderful distraction when you feel unwell. However, it should never be pursued as escapism from the reality of your life.

This last point can not be emphasized enough. Many of us find our spiritual gifts and soul senses burgeoning in the midst of massive life shifts, chaos, grief, or pain. These elements may act as individual catalysts in uncovering your psychic abilities. As your soul cries out,’Help me!’ Your awakening is set in motion.

You may quickly conclude that the only course of action is to delve more deeply into spirituality in the form of psychic/mediumship development. (For the differences between psychicism and mediumship, please see previous blog articles).

There are many remedies for the pain of awakening and that dark night that ensues. Some seek alternative and complimentary therapies such as Reiki, Sound Healing, massage, or Acupuncture. All of these are beneficial ways of rebalancing and cleansing the energetic bodies. Others disappear into the South American Rainforest for Ayuhuasca ceremonies or take DMT trips in hope of discovering the nature of reality, others still may find that their careers and relationships are no longer a vibrational match for their newly awakened state. All of these we see time and time again as individuals struggle to make sense of their new reality.

There can be much escapism and spiritual bypassing that bubbles up as a part of this process. People may find that a spiritual journey provides them with a much needed antidote to an otherwise painful or mundane life that they do not wish to fully engage with. This is NOT reason to sit for psychic development.

When we develop in a properly led Development Circle, we are NOT simply ‘dabbling’ or opening up our awareness to any old detritus which may be out there in the ether. It is an exercise in DISCIPLINE and INTENTION to develop the necessary faculties and psychic battery power to link with the people of the Next World and relay their messages in an ethical and evidential manner.

The energy used to develop individuals psychically and mediumistically works on the physical as well as energetic systems.

We may believe that because we are developing a psychic sense or two, that our physical/psychological being will not be touched. This is a common misconception.

In order for unfoldment to properly take place, the physical endocrine system is utilized. This system governs hormone production in the human body, sitting in the Power can therefore cause hormonal imbalances. (As evidence of this, psychic energy is often stronger in children of pubescent age. Their growing hormones amplify their psychic power, sometimes creating what is called ‘Poltergeist’ activity in their surroundings.)

Whilst I would not wish to discourage anyone from developing their abilities, I think it is time that more teachers (and those helping others to develop) began putting the safety of their students first.

I have no interest in gatekeeping the world of mediumship and it’s development (even if I did, it would be like King Knut trying to hold back the tide!), however, I am invested in giving all of the facts to those who wish to pursue this path.

Unfortunately, we now live in a world where anyone with the least bit of psychic unfoldment can create a website and sell development courses to thousands of individuals, some of whom will be vulnerable. Many of these self-styled gurus and spiritual ‘influencers’ have NEVER sat in a circle themselves or been properly trained, even in the basics of common-sense mediumship mechanics. How often do you see them talking about the potential dangers of development? I can only guess that that is due to a lack of personal knowledge (and the fact that if you halve your sign ups, you harm your revenue.) REAL teachers, those of us who have come into this life with the purpose of teaching development, would rather that you were protected and had all of the available information so that the choices you make can be informed and in your own best interests.

Mediumship Development is not and should never be, a business model and, as such, shouldn’t be marketed as a product that is right and safe for everyone, because it isn’t.

Make sure you always use your own intelligence when seeking out classes, courses, or tuition. Have all of the facts  and always be honest with yourself.

Just because you could sit for development, should you?