Seeing Dead People

He was wearing a ratty black T shirt and matching cargo pants. His jet black hair framed, cold, empty eyes, the color of coal. His skin was pale and had dark reddish rings around his eyes. He stared at me in the mirror, I shuttered His arms were at his sides and one of his hands was gripped around something I couldn't quite make out. A beer bottle, a knife. I could hear my heart beating in my chest and feel it throbbing in my head. I wanted to yell out for help, but my vocal cords were frozen. I told myself it was a bad dream and squeezed my eyes shut.

You've entered into the world of alternate realities. Here, paradigms are shifted, minds are blown, and mills are lifted. Actual supernatural experiences are brought to life through storytelling by the people who experience them. Welcome to Adventures in mysticism with Leah Grant, where the esoteric is explored and consciousness is expanded. Visit adventures and mysticism.com to further your spiritual development through layers, latest offerings. And now we continue with this episode's mystical adventure.

The first time I became aware that I had seen a dead person was my sophomore year in college. Two of my friends were sitting on the balcony of their dorm, which overlooks the parking lot next to the football field. It was a Saturday night around 10 or 11pm. And I was heading to their room. That evenings football game was long over and most everyone who planned to be out that evening was already at the bars. So campus felt fairly empty. I cut through a row of cars and when I came out the other side there was a young man standing there. He easily could have been a student, except that he was dressed a bit odd. He was wearing what appeared to be an old Air Force uniform and cap. He smiled and asked, Do you know where the air force bases from here? I knew there was a military base in town but I wasn't exactly sure where it was. And so I told him as much. Then I asked him, Is there a dance there tonight? Given his outfit I thought he might be going to attribute evening for veterans or something. He looked at me quizzically and said, No, I just need to get back there. His I need to just get back there sounded fairly urgent. So I directed him to the campus security office saying they'd be his best option for knowing where it was. And I continued across the parking lot. When I got to my friend's dorm, she asked, What were you doing in the parking lot? I explained the conversation to my friends, only to be informed that according to them, there was no one there. I looked like I was having a conversation with the air in front of me.

Later that same year, the scariest encounter I have had seeing someone crossover occurred. I was a little sister to a fraternity at a school too small to have long standing fraternity houses. But a group of guys that none fraternity had rented an off campus house on a corner with a pool that essentially became the fraternity hanging out for several years, as different guys moved in and out. One evening, I had gone over to the house with some friends for a beginning of the evening beer. I was exhausted. It had been a long week. But I hadn't driven so couldn't go back to campus. So while everyone else left to attend a party somewhere else, I crashed in the fraternity president's bed. I woke up a few hours later feeling freezing. Something you really almost never feel in southern Texas because it's hot and humid there. So that was my first indication something wasn't right. I was facing the mayor that hung on the bathroom door and in the mirror was the reflection of a young man I did not recognize. I immediately felt in danger. I knew from the reflection he was right behind me. So Standing next to the bed. Chills go up and down my spine now even recalling the incident he was wearing a ratty black T shirt and matching cargo pants. His jet black hair framed cold, empty eyes the color of coal. His skin was pale and he had dark reddish rings around his eyes. He stared at me in the mirror, I shattered. His arms were at his sides and one of his hands gripped around something I couldn't quite make out. A beer bottle, a knife. I could hear my heart beating in my chest and feel it throbbing in my head. I wanted to yell out for help, but my vocal cords were frozen. I told myself it was a bad dream and squeeze my eyes shut. When I opened them again, just a moment later, he was no longer visible in the mirror. I shot out of bed through open the bedroom door, the black lab pet of the guys began barking into the room. I slammed the door and ran through the house, the dog at my heels yelling for anyone. No one was there.

The dog and I went outside and sat on the curb. I hysterically called one of the fraternity guys to come get me. When he did, he informed me that several of the guys in the house had encountered strange things there as well. Many times, especially when they were playing pool in the garage, an invisible player would step in and then hit balls and make shots. After some research, we found out that the reason the guys were able to rent the house so cheaply was because a young boy had murdered his girlfriend and her parents in the house and then killed himself there. The guy saw was the right age and description of the killer. That experience freaked me out so badly that I believe I blocked out the ability to see dead people for many years

Following the gift of being a medium wouldn't evade me forever though. It returned unexpectedly when I took a friend up on living in her mother in law quarters while my house in another state was being built. The mother in law quarters was a studio setup with a queen bed against one wall, a desk on another and a sofa type chair and end table opposite the bed on the far wall. Next to the bed was the door to the bathroom. Next to the sofa chair was a walk in closet and a note with the kitchen table. The exit was nestled between the closet and the kitchen table. My first night in the house I woke up feeling cold. Now, it was Maryland and the mother in law suite had been built in the basement. So this wasn't immediately alarming. However, I had a feeling I was not alone. This also didn't immediately alarm me. My friend's four year old loved me and I thought he might have wandered downstairs being curious about me being there. It wasn't him though. I opened my eyes and there was an older woman sitting in the chair. Her clothing was like something I'd seen my grandmother wear in old photos. The woman was just staring at me. But I also felt like she was reading my soul was very uncomfortable. But I didn't feel like I was in danger. So I convinced myself I was dreaming and forced myself to go back to sleep. The next morning over breakfast I told my friend about the woman. I described her in detail. My friend disappeared into the living room and returned with a photograph. showing it to me she asked this her. Yes, I exclaimed, shocked that the woman was the exact same one I had seen in the chair the night before. My friend then explained that the woman was her husband's dead grandmother who was just coming to see that I didn't mean to do any harm to the family. She shared that she'd shown up with the birth of her son also. She then informed me that the grandmother wasn't the only one who visited them in the house. In the short time I lived with her two other visits from beyond, and a couple other paranormal occurrences took place

After the grandmother visit, my friend warned me that the Passed over grandfather would randomly open the front door and leave it ajar. This happens sometimes when she was home but other times when the door had been locked and dead bolted and no one was around. It was quite unnerving. Her husband's grandfather also left the aroma of pipe smoke in the stairwell from the first floor to the second floor. Not always, but it was sometimes there when you'd go up the stairs. In the dining room, which was directly above the bed I slept in was a train set. The track went all around the dining room. It was pretty impressive. And my friend's son love to play with it. Apparently, so did one of the other worldly presences in the house. Because sometime around 4am Random mornings someone or something would turn the train on. I would wake up in pitch black and hear it whiz around above me. Then I would hear the two dogs go crazy scrambling down the wooden stairs and across the tile floor, followed closely by my friend's husband coming down the stairs to turn it off. This happened multiple times while I lived with them.

The last sighting occurred there when I was in her master bedroom, or a room that had been added to the house long after the relatives who had lived or visited there had passed. I was giving my friend a Tarot reading and the woman appeared with a message. I described the woman and my friend smiled and said, That's my mom. Her mom had passed away very young and many years before I met my friend. So I didn't know her had never met her and had no idea what she looked like. The woman who appeared had a man with her, and I described him to my friend as well, which actually made her mom frustrated with me. Her mom told me telepathically she didn't want her daughter knowing she was with another man. I responded telepathically that she should have told me that right away when she appeared and brought him along. Apparently, my friend's dad was still alive, and her mom had found a friend in the afterlife. Despite all of this activity, and more that I didn't witness, my friend and her family still live in that house.

After all those experiences, I didn't shut off my gift of mediumship any longer. But I also didn't advertise it. I would get messages from loved ones of friends or clients and deliver those but never publicly announced that I could see or hear dead people, I guess until now. Partly because once someone figures out you can connect with those from beyond, they get very excited. The thing is, I had not honed my gift at all at this point, someone sometimes would come through, but I didn't know when or where or how to create an environment to hold space for it. I remember one time in particular where someone came through completely unexpected. I was an exhibitor at a spiritual expo and was offering 15 minute card readings. Between you and me. I use Oracle and tarot cards to give guidance to the reading. And so the clients have a visual to connect the messages with but much of the information I share comes to me intuitively or psychically. On this day, a woman had purchased a reading and I think she'd asked a question about her career. As I was giving her the reading a woman appeared next to her. The woman looked much like her but older and she was wearing a red and white checked apron. She telepathically told me she had a message for her daughter she'd like for me to deliver. I told the woman I was reading that someone had appeared who had a message for her and what she liked to hear it. I always asked permission because not everyone wants to hear messages from apparitions. And I also never take the crossover information and pass it to the client until they have verified whom I'm talking to. My clients eyes got really wide. And so I described the dead person I saw the woman burst into tears. Instead, it was her mom who had recently passed. She said she wear that apron every day, I was able to deliver several messages to the woman from her mom. And then the mother slowly faded off. When I decided I was okay being more open about my psychic gifts, and I was told to practice in Las Vegas, you had to get a license. I decided to go get some actual training should I decide to do that, and was certified as a master medium.

One lesson I've learned through all of these experiences, is that my role is to not dedicate myself to being a medium. It is an awesome tool in my supernatural toolbox that I can use when it presents itself though, I've come to understand that everyone has the ability to see dead people just as much as everyone has the ability to play the piano. Yes, it comes more easily to some. It is actually some people's purpose and talent. And it is something some people will ever cultivate. And whichever it is for you, is perfect. Thank you for listening. Next episode I'll share some of my stories about past lives. Until then, remember that your spiritual journey is a supernatural adventure in and of itself. Enjoy the unfolding and embrace the unknown.