I recently had one of the most magical experiences I have had with an animal, two animals in this case. 

I was away in Norfolk staying with a friend, hoping to catch the last of the bank holiday sunshine. I managed to catch a few rays on day one, before the heavy rain kicked in. On the second night we were treated to a storm, quite an impressive one actually although not so much for animals. If you own a dog you’ll know they either sleep or cry through a heavy storm. Daisy was the latter. I doubt I can convey how special this experience was through words but I will give it a try.

I had only met Billy and Daisy once before and unusually for me, there wasn’t an instant bond. I love animals, especially dogs, but these two have a very independent streak, no cuddles. They also have a very unique walk, due to a rare condition, so it came as quite a shock when Daisy came up to me, mid-storm, and gave me the puppy dog eyes. From nowhere she appeared in front of me by the sofa and stared insistently, almost begging to be lifted up onto my lap. It threw me for a minute so I asked my partner to lift her up and put her between us. It was very clear that she was distressed but it was more than that, I could feel her asking to be with me, asking for healing.

She was shaking like a leaf, I’ve never seen a dog so scared. In the end I realised I had to put my hands on her. Within five minutes of receiving healing there was a noticeable change. The shaking slowed down almost immediately and within fifteen minutes she was in a deep sleep, so much so that she was no longer phased by the roaring thunderstorm outside. It was beautiful, and didn’t go unnoticed by the others in the room, including her owner Carol who couldn’t believe what she saw. Daisy laid there for the rest of the evening blissfully relaxed until she went to bed, she had an air of calmness that stayed with her until the following day.

And then it was Billy’s turn. I’m not sure why but I was drawn to Billy whilst he lay quietly in his bed. Due to his condition I had noticed his ability to walk was suffering and I wanted to see if I could help him in some way. I’m not under the impression that his condition could be cured with a couple of Reiki sessions, but I felt that he needed healing for himself, to aid relaxation and to ease the pressure he puts on himself from frequent falls. So I put my hands on his back legs – where the problem persists – and let the energy flow.

Once again it was magical. I instantly felt a connection with Billy that was missing when we had first met. He took to the reiki so well, just like Daisy. He didn’t attempt to get up and move at all as some dogs do. Whilst he soaked up the healing energy I thought it was the perfect time to practice some animal communication. I wanted to see what he was feeling and talk to him. It can be so hard watching him struggle, steadying himself after a fall, but at least I could get him to relax and let go of his anxiety for a while.

As the heat from my hands increased, I began sending out thoughts to Billy to talk to me, which isn’t the easiest task when an animal is face to face, usually this kind of communication works best via distance, with the absence of emotion. But he did talk to me. More so, he gave me a message. I felt that what he was trying to tell me was that he felt stupid. My heart instantly melted as tears streamed down my face. I started to wonder what everyone around me would be thinking. But it was so emotional and overwhelming, I just had to continue.

My hands moved towards his front, I placed one on his head and held his paw with the other. I told him that he wasn’t stupid and that he was very loved. He looked up at me in the most endearing way, attempting to move his head but was so relaxed that he just flopped back down again

I can’t communicate how special this was, it really was one of those ‘you have to be there moments’. I started the session with the intention of helping Billy to relax and not overthink the walking, however, I ended the session just sending him love, and trying to make him feel less silly. When I finally opened my eyes I realised that the level of emotion involved with the treatment was clear, once again I had managed to shock those around me. Unsurprisingly Billy dog remained in his bed for quite some time – I did worry that he’d be so sleepy he would miss out on the nice beach walk ahead!

Working with animals is fascinating, the way they don’t question what you are doing, they just trust and receive the healing. The thing that intrigues me most about this story is how Daisy knew to come to me during the thunderstorm when she could have gone to her owners. It’s no secret that animals are more intelligent than humans, but this is the icing on the cake!

I will leave you with a few words from Carol:

“Billy has always been a skittish dog but after five minutes with Kalie he relaxed completely and remained calm for most of the day.  It was amazing to watch.”

Many people ask me, were you born psychic or did you have to learn? I think the answer is a mixture of the two.

Having seen the ghost of my granddad very early on in life (see blog post) I feel I was born with some kind of – I hesitate to say gift – natural ability. But just like any other skill, you have to learn your trade.

If you wanted to become a professional tennis player you would find yourself a tennis coach and practice as much as possible, and it’s the same if you want to become a medium, you will need to attend workshops and put in lots of practice. For most of us mediumship is a test of discipline and determination, you must stay committed to your goal no matter how many times you fail. And you will fail!

It can take years to finally call yourself a medium, once you’ve learnt to trust in the spirit world and have confidence in the information you’re given. The difficulty is receiving the information in the first place, whether you see, hear or sense, knowing what you are picking up is half of the battle.

I explain to new clients that doing a reading can be like speaking on the telephone with a very poor signal, with sections of the conversation dropping in and out it can require a lot of patience to make out what the other person is saying. Unfortunately we do not have a direct dial to the spirit world, as much as we would like one! Instead we learn to communicate with symbols through a connection in our mind. You may have heard people talking about opening up the third eye, something we learn to perfect through meditation.

The journey begins by joining a psychic development group, often at your local spiritualist church. Here we learn things like opening and closing down our chakras, the difference between psychic readings and mediumship. We learn to do readings in many different ways such as using guidance cards, pictures, even crystals as a tool, working in pairs or small groups for all sorts of creative activities.

Initially you probably won’t pick up anything, many of us spend weeks, months or even years feeling frustrated with our lack of progress, but in the end it comes. Sometimes you have a massive break-through; sometimes it’s a gradual build-up. Fragmented pieces of information become structured descriptions of friends and relatives, starting with a sense of a male or female then moving on to how this person looks or feels to you. What kind of personality they had, how old they were when they passed. Of course we can’t always provide exact names and ages, but we do our best to pass on what we are shown.

And that is part of the problem, we aren’t always given specific information that the recipient wishes to receive. Our spirit relatives have no concept of time, and often they just don’t want to focus on how they passed; it’s more important for them to portray happiness not sadness. They usually come through with what we call a memory link: something that no one else would know, a memory that confirms it’s really them. The information never makes sense to me, but when I say it out loud it could be the one thing the person in front of me needed to hear.

I’ve had some amazing memory links during my time as a medium, both in training, during a reading with a client and at demonstrations of mediumship. One thing that really sticks out in my mind was when an old school friend contacted me after the loss of her father, seeking advice on whether to attend an evening of clairvoyance. As we were chatting online I started to get a sense of her father being around, I had met him a few times many years ago but didn’t know anything about him. I’m not usually tuned in until I sit down to do a reading, but intense emotional loss can often trigger a connection.

I remember leaving the computer briefly and as I left the room I had the image of a garden rake in my head – very random as you can imagine. At first this didn’t make any sense to me, like most symbols don’t, but then I understood the image represented someone attempting to clear up leaves, as if they were trying but not having much luck. There was humour attached to this picture, but I didn’t understand what it meant. I realised that I needed to relay it to my friend in case she could make sense of it, though it always makes me a little nervous to come out with something so unexpected. Thankfully when I explained what I had received it made perfect sense to her and it was definitely intended to uplift the family with laughter.

I truly believe that mediumship is a gift, one that we all have but choose to develop. I have shared some beautiful moments and received some fantastic evidence from spirit, on both sides of the table. It can bring huge comfort to those suffering loss, making the process of grief that little bit easier. As a medium we never stop growing, we learn from each other and we learn from spirit and if we ever get over confident they are sure to put us back in our place! It all starts with a sixth sense, a curiosity for the unknown and a strong desire to help others.

I am very excited to announce my brand new weekly relaxation sessions in Greenwich.

Most of us lead busy lives, rushing from place to place, so the aim of the sessions is to promote the importance of relaxation and demonstrate how good it feels just to take an hour for yourself.

Meditation and Sound Therapy are powerful and transformational tools that we can factor into our daily lives to cope with stress and anxiety. Many people have experienced improved sleep, reduced pain, greater self confidence and overall happiness from incorporating mindful meditation and sound healing treatments into their lives.

If you’ve been thinking about trying meditation in London or attending a sound bath, this could be the ideal opportunity. Don’t miss two free introductory tasters on the 19th and 20th of October! Places are limited so email to reserve yours. Donations welcome to cover running costs.

Meditation & Self Healing: Through the Power of Sound will take place on Wednesday mornings from 10-11am and Thursday evenings 7-8pm at the Deborah Ubee Trust, SE10 8JS. Yoga mats and some blankets provided, feel free to bring an extra comfy pillow/ blanket.

Just over a year ago I was researching sound healing practitioners for a Meetup event, now I’m making preparations to commence my own sound baths…

I’m not sure how it started, but I suddenly felt an inner calling for sound. I’d love to say that I excelled at music during school but sadly, that wasn’t the case – aside from a passion for singing. Looking back, I remember my best friend (now a music teacher) had the most unusual collection of worldly instruments. Every time I went to her house I admired (and sometimes laughed) at the growing collection, I also took a genuine interest into their names and origins.

Further to this somehow I began accumulating my own set of instruments without even realising. My first was a large ‘rain stick’ with colourful carved detailing. I picked this up at a pop up event along the Thames around three years ago. It was stored behind a sofa in my flat for some time rather unloved and unused. Approximately one year on I found myself at a local craft market in Cape Town haggling for another beautifully carved, smaller rain stick. I also brought home a ‘thumb piano’ crafted from a coconut and a rather noisy rattling giraffe creation. To this day I’m not sure why I bought them, I was just so drawn to each one, and fascinated by the time and energy lovingly spent on each piece.

Now, everywhere I go instruments seem to follow. From singing bowls on an overnight trip to Cambridge, to a striking Vietnamese gong spotted in an antique shop in Norfolk. The universe seems to be sending me a clear message: sound healing is the way forward.

For my Sound Healing Diploma I went away to a quaint village in Somerset. It was a lovely place where I could completely let go of ‘London life’. It was important for me to go away to study, I had been going through a difficult time and this was a major step forward. It was the first trip I had taken alone in a long time. My sound healing course represented a new me, a more independent me. One that pushes herself to try new things, to travel to new places and to follow a path that truly leads to happiness.

I was fairly nervous about doing the course, due to being a slow learner. I only hoped that I would actually be able to play the instruments. Thankfully there was an instant bond and a level of intuitiveness with everything that I picked up. I loved them all, and couldn’t wait to attempt my first sound bath. I finished the sound bath with great feedback, a big smile and a sense of achievement. I actually did it.

My favourite memory from this trip was on the morning of the last day. I said goodbye to the meerkats at the nearby farm and went in search of the beach, appreciating all the little houses and their gardens with chickens along the way. I walked down the steps and stood alone on the desolate beach. It was in the depth of winter, so I stood there wrapped up in layers and snow boots, admiring a man and his dog. As I looked up to the sky, I was mesmerised by a beautiful rainbow, I couldn’t quite believe it. It felt like a pivotal moment in the new chapter of my life. I was immensely grateful and proud of myself for what I had achieved, all by myself. The rainbow told me that everything was going to be ok when I returned to London.

My teacher had so many instruments, I remember thinking how lucky she was. Any time she wanted she could just pop next door and play to her heart’s content. I on the other hand considered myself very lucky to be travelling home with some new additions to my collection, to help me get started on my case studies. Two singing bowls, a Tibetan bell and a Nepalise drum – I have no idea how I managed to carry it all home alongside my suitcase and bags!

Having just returned from a long drive to Reading to collect three crystal bowls, I feel extremely lucky to now be following an inner calling, turning dreams into reality. I have received some wonderful testimonials on this new journey, I cannot wait to really explore the benefits of sound healing treatments and to begin running my own Gong and Sound Baths.

If you are curious about Sound Therapy and would like to know how it could help you, keep a lookout for stories from Andrea, Naomi and James, my case studies, who each received four weekly treatments documenting some fantastic experiences with pain reduction, improved sleep, concentration and relaxation.