In The Spirit of Things
JAMES VAN PRAAGH AT THE DEL
WHEN DID YOU FIRST REALIZE YOU HAD THIS ABILITY ?
When I was a very young child I assumed everyone could see ghosts like I could . While saying my prayers at night I would see my grandparents at the foot of my bed . This never scared me – it seemed absolutely natural . I mentioned it to my mother , and she wasn ’ t surprised at all . She told me that when she was a young girl , she could see spirits too , and that I should consider it a gift and not something to be afraid of .
CAN YOU PLEASE EXPLAIN YOUR ABILITIES ?
There are many ways that psychic and mediumistic abilities manifest themselves – every medium and psychic receives and processes insights in their own unique way . Here are the four major categories : Clairvoyance is when you clearly see the past , present , and future for yourself and others . Clairaudience is when you hear Spirit ’ s messages and can relay those messages to deliver accurate readings . Claircognizance is when you clearly know the right decisions to make in your life and can use those insights to help others . Clairsentience is when you clearly feel the energy of other souls – in the Spirit as well as the physical world .
The strongest one for me is my Claircognizance – an overall sixth sense , or “ knowing .”
Ghost whisperer , spiritual teacher and New York Times bestselling author , James Van Praagh , is hailed as one of the world ’ s most celebrated and respected spiritual mediums who ’ s spent the last three decades relaying messages from the other side . James will be descending upon The Del on October 12 for an Evening of Spirits , along with a VIP ghost tour of the hotel ’ s haunted halls and séance to commune with The Del ’ s very own ghost Kate Morgan . Here , he shares stories of his spirited childhood , clairvoyant powers , encounters with Abraham Lincoln and why we should not fear death . Read on .
YOU ARE A “ SURVIVAL EVIDENCE MEDIUM .” WHAT DOES THIS MEAN ?
A survival evidence medium provides evidential proof of life after death through relaying detailed messages from the spiritual realm . When I connect with the spirit people , they make me aware of specific details that the person receiving the message will find meaningful .
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WHAT ’ S IT LIKE TO BE ABLE TO SEE AURAS ?
I think auras are fascinating , because they can change based on what the person is going through at the time , and also based on the energies that they pick up and hold onto from others . When someone ’ s auric field is cluttered with foreign energy , to me , they look like Pig Pen in the Peanuts comics . I can see the debris around them , and I can ’ t rest until I ’ ve cleared all that energy away so their aura is clear and reflects their own true colors .
WHAT IS YOUR UNDERLYING BELIEF AS A MEDIUM ?
I believe that the reason I ’ m here is to be a conduit for the spirit world – sharing the divine message that death is an illusion , and that love – like life – never dies , it continues on .
WHY SHOULD PEOPLE NOT FEAR DEATH ?
Because there is no such thing as death , we are all made up of energy , and you can ’ t kill energy . As I said earlier , the most important message I have to share is that there ’ s no end to life , so people can put their fears to rest . What we do here will create what experience we have in the afterlife – so in that area , we control our own heaven and hell .
WHO HAS BEEN THE MOST INTERESTING TO HEAR FROM IN YOUR WORK ?
Through my work as a medium , I ’ ve met everyone from President Lincoln to Prince . I had an interesting discussion with the ghost of Abraham Lincoln . He told me to keep doing what he called , “ My good work .” He said that he was with the souls of the soldiers who fought in the Civil War – on both sides – because in Heaven we are all one .
YOU ’ VE WRITTEN 13 BOOKS AND HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN SEVERAL TELEVISION PROJECTS BASED ON YOUR WORK . WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE AND WHY ?
I was the Executive Producer of the hit series , The Ghost Whisperer , with Jennifer Love Hewitt . That was a very special project to me because it reached so many people . We took a subject matter like communication with the Spirit world and portrayed it in a realistic way so that people could relate to it and discover the truth without living in fear . And once people get over their fear of death , it makes room for love to flow in .