.png)
When I first started studying mediumship, we had to agree to do 40 readings for free. When I heard that, I was like, well this was short lived. Not doing it. There is no way I can do that. At that point, my interaction with Spirit was not on demand as it is now, it was more on the timeline of those who chose to step into my dreams. I was ready to quit before I started.
I had joined the class with my dear friend, and she convinced me we could do this, and so I pressed on.
I got started. It was a weird question to ask people, “Can I do a reading for you, for free? Oh, you know, I am taking a class to learn how to do a better job interacting with the Spirit people who enter my brain space. Cool?”
After I had about 15 readings under my belt, it occurred to me to offer a reading day. I would have a day at a friend’s office and just do readings for as many people as would come. It would be fine I told myself. Mostly, because this was free. No harm if I stunk. I wasn’t taking anyone’s money after all and, better yet, I am a student. No one can be made about a student who can’t deliver the goods.
The night before the reading day, I had a dream I was eating breakfast with Suzanne Geisemann. She is a famous medium and author whose books I was introduced to by my cousin after my mom died. In the dream, Suzanne and I were dining outside in Hawaii at a restaurant I had eaten at before in my awake life.
As we ate and chatted, 7 pileated woodpeckers flew in, landed and hopped past us. I counted them, one, two, three… what the heck? Pileated woodpeckers are shy after all. I bet I hadn’t seen two in real life let alone a parade of 7.
And then I woke up.
In that moment, I somehow knew that I was starting a process. When I saw seven Pileated woodpeckers in real life, I will know I have accomplished something.
It’s comical really, how these signs work and arrive in real life. I have written in the past about my grandmother, who was born and raised in Hawaii, and her love for the Pileated woodpecker. “Wooker, wooker, wooker,” she would call to them in the yard at our cottage. The cottage that was built by her and my grandfather and is now mine. You see how this dream language works? My Hawaii born grandmother, our cottage, her favorite bird?
This is not a robin or a chickadee. They are not birds you see daily. I held that reading day before Covid in 2020. I saw my 7th Pileated woodpecker in the summer of 2023. And yes, I was counting.
This week I was driving to the store and saw 7 everywhere, repeating on license plates and on other signs. I didn’t even think about what it might mean, I figured it would make sense when it made sense. When I got home, I was looking for a meditation script I had written on my laptop. I stumbled upon a draft of a blog post I started and never finished and it was about the 7 woodpeckers. If I had not seen 7 everywhere that night, it may not have caught my eye.
On reading day, I was so full of doubt and was deeply nervous about what I was about to do. In addition to attempting to connect with Spirit for a whole bunch of people in one day, I was outing myself as a psychic medium. “Allegedly” I told myself.
Do you ever experience self-doubt? Or you get intuitive nudges and whispers, and yet you don’t act on them? Maybe you get a wild idea and parts of you scream “noooo!” while the other parts push you anyway?
I am here to tell you these “ideas” often times come from your people and by people I mean your Spirit team. This can include people on the other side, your guides, angels, and animals. Yes, these people, animals and energies are nudging you along. They push you while also removing barriers and lining up opportunities, teachers and meaningful people in your life. They want to see you reach your dreams and achieve all that you came here to do.
As my friend Bono sings in a recent song, “If your dreams don’t scare you they aren’t big enough.” Every time I hear it, I think “Yes, yes” and while scary, I know he is right. We are here to grow out of our comfort zone and do the things that scare the crap out of us. For me, that thing was developing my mediumship.
Another thing I know for sure is that when animals appear in your dreams, this is the medicine you need in that moment. I invite you to dig in to that animal and figure out the message. For me, the woodpecker has been a long-time animal guide for me. These birds are not typical; they stand out. Most woodpeckers have a streak of red amid their feathers. Red is primal, foundational root chakra energy. It asks what we need to feel safe and secure. It also lets us know it is safe to be ourself.
Woodpeckers beat to their own drummers making rhythms with their beaks, hammering away at the trees to get their food. In some cultures, drumming is how other dimensions are reached. These birds are hacking away dead wood to get to the heart of the matter.
Why were there 7 woodpeckers? One suggestion is that my life path number is 7. I am told this contributes to my nature, as a spiritual soul who needs to beat to her own drummer and also share everything I learn. “People affiliated with the number seven are believed to be insightful, intuitive, truthful, introspective, intellectual, and wise.” I will take that! I have also heard us described as aliens. I will take that too!
And what about Suzanne Giesemann? She was older when she started working with Spirit. She already had a successful and decorated military career. It was the sudden loss of her stepdaughter that prompted her to explore the Spirit world. She also is a writer. I resonate with these themes as well. I have had a long career in Public Health and my spiritual awakening corresponded with my mom’s sudden passing. She seems like a good choice for my subconscious to relate to.
Back to the reading day. It was invigorating, scary and exciting, and I can still recall some of the things that were shared that day. I recall some of the spirit people I met that day, the synchronicities between clients, revelations of new babies and healing that occurred by connecting people with their loved ones. That was easily 4 years ago and those stories are stuck in my head and burned on my heart. It was so great and I was hooked.
What is calling out to you? What nudges are you ignoring? What is in your heart? Do your dreams scare and excite you?
I am here for you going after it, no matter how outlandish it might seem! If it is in your heart or makes your body light up, it is worth pursuing. Get going, look for the helpers and let it unfold. I promise if it is for you, you will be guided to it.
Love, Christy
xxoo