When a Medium Asks for a Photo of Your Deceased Mother
Mediums are spirit communicators. They prepare and position themselves to open the channels of communication. During a reading, mediums can invite your deceased loved ones to come through — but they cannot force any spirit to come through.
It’s up to each individual spirit to decide whether to communicate — and they might not immediately do so for a variety of reasons:
They might respectfully wait for the matriarch or patriarch of the family to step forward first. Or, they might hang back because of an unresolved issue they don’t want to discuss. Or, they might be occupied working on their own spiritual development or helping another living person with a critical need. (It’s true that our deceased loved ones can become spirit guides.)
When a spirit needs a little more encouragement to come through, mediums can shift their approach and apply different tools to establish and maintain a strong connection. Here are common ways mediums do that:
A medium might ask for the first name of your loved one in spirit. This is so the medium can call out to the spirit in a more personal way and make the spirit feel more comfortable about getting closer to the medium, so that communication is possible. Using the first name also makes it clear to that spirit that they are wanted — regardless of any unresolved issues — and that the medium is open to serving as a liaison.
A medium might ask to see a photo of your loved one in spirit. When a medium open themselves up for spirit communication, multiple spirits — even those who are not related to you — could show up. Using a photo of your loved one as a reference helps the medium hone in on the spirit you want to connect with in that moment.
A medium might ask to hold something that belonged to your loved one in spirit when they were alive. This is akin to psychometry, the reading of an object to gain information about its history. But in the context of medium readings, belongings can carry the energy of the owner even after they’ve passed. Holding belongings can give the medium impressions that strengthen the connection with that energy and the spirit and ultimately, help them uncover more of the story.
While these practices help the medium strengthen their connection with your loved ones in spirit, you also play a role in creating an environment that’s conducive to communication. If you are a skeptic who doubts the reading will be successful, that introduces an immense amount of negativity that pushes away spirit and shuts down the channel of communication.
The best readings happen when the client remains positive and supportive, keeping an open heart and mind — because information that comes through is not always literal but symbolic — and providing feedback whether the medium is on the right track. Learn more about how you can prepare for a great reading here.