How The Dead Communicate With Us
Posted in Mediumship And The Afterlife on 04. Aug, 2009
Here are some of the ways deceased loved ones communicate with us from the other side:
#1: Through Dreams
When we are dreaming, we are very open to communication from deceased loved ones and from the other side in general. This is because we’re already in the astral planes, which is a non-physical place that we visit when we’re asleep. It’s easier for our deceased loved ones to ‘meet us half-way’, energetically speaking, by visiting us there.
I had a dream visitation from my great-grandmother (my mother’s grandmother) a few days before my mother got remarried in 2007 (although I didn’t realize at the time that it was a dream visitation.) Great-granny turned up, looking frail, grey and old – just how I remember her. The only thing she said to me in the dream was “your mother looks lovely in brown”. I felt a great deal of affection coming from her even though I hadn’t known her very well when she was alive. It was a nice dream, but I forgot about it soon after I woke up.
A couple of days later, I was out shopping with my mother for something to wear on her wedding day and we had looked all over town for the right dress for her to get married in, but we hadn’t found anything suitable.
Then, just before the shops were shutting at the end of the day, we found a gorgeous brown dress. My mum tried on the brown dress and it fit beautifully and she looked gorgeous in it. It was perfect. Then all of a sudden I remembered the dream where great-granny had told me that mum looked lovely in brown and I told mum about it. She smiled and said “Great-granny always used to tell me how nice I looked in brown.” Mum thought it was just a coincidence that she had found a brown dress but I felt like it was great-granny giving her blessing from the other side.
How do you know if your deceased loved one is visiting you in a dream or not?
I’ve had a few dreams with deceased spirits in them since then and they’ve all ‘felt’ very similar to me.
It’s hard to put my finger on it exactly, but for me, the ‘climate’ or ‘mood’ of the dream changes when a deceased spirit shows up. You might feel their love or affection for you, transmitted in the dream whereas before there was no particular mood or feeling to the dream. The setting of the dream may suddenly change to somewhere quite symbolic and it may become more vivid. You will often have the dream just before you wake up so that you remember it.
#2: Deceased Spirits Can Move Objects
Can the dead move objects? Yes, it is possible. Don’t ask me to explain how deceased spirits manage to mess with objects. I just know they can and do.
My mum’s sister who passed away from ovarian cancer around two years ago made her presence felt in a few different ways after her death.
Shortly after she passed away, my mother’s sister visited me in a dream and told me that she was messing with the clocks in my grandmother’s house. I rang up my grandmother the next morning to tell her what I had dreamt and she told me that the grandfather clock in their lounge had stopped overnight with the pendulum in the wrong position and they couldn’t get it to work again (it had never happened before and they’d had it for decades.)
Another time a book that belonged to my mother’s sister about ovarian cancer fell off the bookshelf while my grandmother was in the room.
#3: Communication Through Signs from Nature
The world of spirit is entwined with and superimposed onto the physical world and the natural world. You just have to be looking for spirit in order to see it. I’ve heard of deceased spirits sending natural symbols which were meaningful to them when they were alive – such as flowers, birds, animals or animal symbolism. Other signs from nature include rainbows, the person’s favourite flower taking up residence in your garden randomly – that sort of thing.
A while ago my mother told me about a local man here in New Zealand who died in a diving accident. He hit his head and drowned while diving in some coastal caves. When they recovered his body, three whales were sighted nearby, on the coast, hanging around the area where the body had been recovered. (Whales are the Maori symbol of divine protection.) In this area of New Zealand, whales rarely show up on the coast – you have to go many miles out to sea to see them. So that was interesting in itself. Then a few weeks later they were having a memorial service for this man in the place where he died, three whales showed up again.
#4: Communication Through Mediums and through your psychic senses
Deceased spirits are energy, like your spirit guides, so they can impulse us and connect with us in a similar way if they are around. But I do believe that it is easier to communicate with spirit guides than it is to communicate with deceased spirits. This is because spirit guides are connected to you, so if you tune into a person’s energy, you can also tune into their guides fairly easily if you know how. But deceased spirits are not attached to you as such.
So, if you cannot connect with a deceased loved one through a medium, don’t despair. There are many reasons why the communication might not be successful.
Remember that the ether is far removed from the physical plane. Communicating with the other side is a little like building a bridge (made of energy). It’s like you are on one mountain, in the physical plane and the dead on another in the ether. In between you is a valley. In order for you to make contact, someone, or both parties has to build a bridge. You can build an energetic bridge by raising your vibration and opening up your psychic senses and the deceased spirit can build half of the bridge by lowering theirs to meet you halfway. Sometimes deceased spirits may not be available to build their part of the bridge because they’re working on the next stage of their soul’s journey. Some recently deceased spirits want to build the bridge but they’re not yet fully comfortable in their new energetic state and cannot.
Even if you cannot connect with your deceased loved ones through a medium or if they are not showing you signs of them being around you, you can still honour and love them in other ways.
One of the best ways of honouring another soul is by letting them go.
You’ve probably heard the saying ‘if you love someone, set them free’. This is as true in death as it is in life. Deceased spirits can really benefit from permission to leave and go and pursue the next stage of their long journey. I know deceased ones who still have one foot in this dimension one year after their death because they feel guilty for leaving their family behind.
My grandmother told me about a friend of a friend who punched her dying husband in the face (he’d had a heart attack) because she was so angry that he was leaving her. My grandmother always found that story quite funny and sad at the same time. I’m thinking of this story because we do send out clear messages to dying and deceased loved ones about whether they are allowed to cross over that will affect their willingness to move on. And of course it is natural to want to hold onto people.
Something that is very powerful is to give your loved one permission to die while they are still alive. My grandfather did this in the moments before one of our relatives was on her deathbed. He talked to her to sleep like a little child, telling her that it was OK to go and to not be afraid. She died shortly after.
During the funeral, some native cultures consider that the spirit of the dead person is there, so they address them directly and tell them that it’s OK to cross over fully now. Then, they promise to honour their dead and check in with them at certain times, like on the anniversary of their death.
Even after they are gone, you can speak to your deceased loved one and tell them that it’s OK to move on. They will hear you.
You can also honour the dead by focusing on new life
Death is not just an ending. With it, new life begins, although you do not see the new life and the new stages in the evolution of the soul of your loved one (you only see the ending which is what causes grief). Know that your loved one lives on, and experiences new life and goes on to the next stage in their soul’s evolution, even if you cannot see it. You can honour and witness this cycle symbolically through planting something beautiful and seeing it grow.
How have your deceased loved ones got your attention? Please leave a comment if you have something to share.
This article is the third part in a series of articles about the afterlife. The first two articles were:
I’m glad that your relationship with Jack has grown stronger. That’s amazing. I never thought that it could be possible. I’m sure that Jim and yourself have many good memories to relieve and many more new memories to make. I can’t wait to be able to relieve some of the great moments that I’ve had with my dad.
So have you had any psychic readings by Anna? I’m thinking about getting one soon?
Well to be frank, I don’t feel much of a need for a psychic reading since two people in my own family with psychic ability have seen and spoken with Jim in just the past 4 weeks. Then just this week he moved one of my belts from a bedroom closet to a railing in the kitchen while my son and I were out of the house for a few minutes. The only way that could have happened is for him to have watched us leave, then as soon as the coast was clear, he moved the belt into a conspicuous place so that we’d see it as soon as we got back in. That wasn’t the first time he’s done stuff in real time. Once while I was chatting with him, he moved a clock from the side of my desk to the middle of my workspace. I even heard the sound of the clock setting down and I turned to see what had made the sound. Another time after I told him I’d like to have an answer (to a question) ASAP, he moved a kitchen timer from a table to the kitchen counter while I was out of the room. Well, with all this stuff going on I don’t need for anybody else to tell me that Jim is around me.
If you can afford to have a psychic reading done, then go for it. Once you have somebody tell you that they’ve seen your dad beside you, you’ll never again doubt it. But even from what you’ve already said, I can tell that he’s there. I’m positive that he wants to be with you as much as you want to be with him. What the two of you need to do is to work on developing your line of communication, just as Jim and I have done.
Okay, I will! Thanks for your help and advice Jack
Good luck to you and your dad, Shane. I don’t think I’ve ever run into another 21-year-old who has his head screwed on as well as yours is. You are mature beyond your age, and that will be your ticket to success. Don’t forget to let us know if anything else happens. Remember, he’s there and he’s been following all of this. I’m sure he knows my name too. This isn’t rocket science. Just do your part, and he will follow through. To bypass the blog, you can reach me direct by email.
[Edited by Anna - I removed the email address posted here for privacy reasons. I emailed it to you Shane if you want to communicate directly with Jack.]
Hi there … “Psychic but Sane” … I love that !!!! ..
Very interesting … I have always been really fascinated in this topic. My father passed away a few years ago… and I remember one time I was asking for a sign of some sort to know he was still watching over me… and I got this amazing feeling of love that it brought tears to my eyes…. and this message I hear in my head… ” We are always here around you … you just don’t remember how to see us…” Ive had messages like that several times… about how we forgot how to communicate with or see spirits… I love how you explain it in Energy …. makes alot of sense.
Anyhow… I really am enjoying your messages …glad I found your site !! Thank u !
~ Tammy
Tammy´s last blog ..Are you Motivated
Hi I enjoyed your article. You talk about moving on and them moving on and letting go. What if your work together isn’t finished. Spirits can come often and very strongly often with little jokes, often with wonderful feelings without using meditation, writing or other techniques to call them – yet have a lovely energy that clearly isn’t that of a disturbed earth bound spirit. So i a spirit is lively, happy, calm, peaceful, loving and visiting frequently, why is it assumed they are supposed to be somewhere else? It would be lovely to find an answer to this based on some study, since there are a lot of divergent theories, few match and fewer are based on any “evidence” beyond speculation. An informed opinion would be a gem.
Hi Sarah,
Are you talking about deceased spirits who have just passed or other spirits, like guides? They are very different from one another in terms of their path.
From what I know about deceased spirits, a deceased person cannot live in this world without drawing energy from the living person they’re communicating with. So if you’re in constant contact with a deceased person, they are using your energy to stay in this plane. That’s draining for you. For this reason, most spirits do not usually hang around without a good reason – i.e. their death was unresolved or maybe they are watching over someone who used to be their responsibility (they can’t let go). There is no reason to hang around in this plane without a body.
Hi Anna,
Everything you say seems logical, but it doesn’t explain why Jim is still here and leaving me signs on a continual basis–5 or so in the past week alone. His signs are always in response to questions that I’ve asked him; they are never random, as some have assumed. I have a belt now hanging in my kitchen, an oven mitt and a piece of shelf liner placed symmetrically on top of it sitting on my printer, a desk lamp moved to a spot too far away for me to see under it, and the list goes on. Lately Jim has been fiddling with my MP3 player, making things happen that can’t normally happen–volume fading before the song is finished, just one song advancing to the next song when the Repeat function is engaged, while all the other songs repeat, volume level dropping to zero at the end of a song, causing me to think the battery was discharged when it wasn’t, etc.–and the player is not broken.
If there has to be a reason for his returning decades after we parted, then I guess it could be because there was unfinished business between us but which has since been resolved through discussion. And yet, after 2 years of communication, he’s still here. Could it be because we’re both having too much fun? In college Jim loved to play tricks on me, and I enjoyed it when he did, so maybe that is reason enough for a spirit to stay around–for pure enjoyment. Why not? How many other living souls do you suppose are carrying on lively conversations with him, as I am doing? I’m guessing zero, so he has no reason to leave. Having too much fun.
As for not having a body, he obviously has one because he was seen and engaged in conversation by two psychic acquaintances while I slept in another room. Both described him as looking exactly as in his college graduation photo taken at age 22 (our age when we last met), even though he died in a fire at age 44. Both described his body as perfectly normal-looking, not wispy or semi-transparent, and said that he walked around the room or sat in a chair. The only thing different about him, according to them, was that although he spoke in a normal voice, his lips didn’t move. But he looked so normal that, until he identified himself as my friend, the first eyewitness assumed he was an intruder and inquired as to how he got into the house with all the doors and windows locked.
Anna, I failed to mention that Jim’s appearance before those 2 psychics were two separate events. I made it sound like they were both there at the same time, but that’s not the case. Jim’s first appearance was at my home in Honolulu in May, and the second was before a Thai friend in Bangkok in June, where I am now. Sorry if I confused the readers.
Hi Anna, thanks for your reply. I think my experience seems to be more like Jack’s (Jack thanks for posting it’s great to hear other people having positive long term experiences too).
I’m happy to say my husband visits have been fun too, frequent and inspiring and definitely NOT draining, on the contrary, life is been richer and brighter with him here. He is also fun, calm, happy and settled, so I don’t believe for a minute that he’s hanging on with unresolved issues. I have been communicating with him via inspirational writing and meditation – if there were unresolved issues we’ve had plenty of time to make peace with them. I also pray so that he not come to me when my energy is low or bad (the very time people say loved ones come because they’re needed). I wanted to be very clear that I want him to come when he wants to not because he has to rescue me from some physical world stress. As a result his appearances have been spontaneous and fun.
I know others, including mediums who still have frequent visits from loved ones decades later without having to call them. I assume if it was bad for them or their loved ones they know how to release them or at the very least, since they have such a clear channel open that at some point over the last three or four decades they could have resolved any outstanding issues.
I still don’t know what lies ahead for us, or how relationships continue across the veil, but Jack I’d love to hear more about your experiences, they sound fun and encouraging. If you’re willing to share, I’m happy to post my email address.
Sarah
Sarah, I don’t believe Anna will post the email address for security reasons, but she can send it to me if you ask.
You’re correct that my life has been a series of mini-adventures with Jim, but even more interesting than his signs is the thinking he’s put behind them. It’s quite clear to me that he not only looks 22 but acts it as well. There’s still a lot of the kid still in Jim, and he hasn’t changed one bit. He has my surroundings memorized, so when I’m alone, he will move something that only I would know has been moved. But when another person is around, he will do something that no one would take credit for, such as hang a belt from a rafter in the kitchen or overturn a glass with a little water still in it, thus making a small puddle on the counter. Living with Jim has been a little like a 3-ring circus, which is why I believe he doesn’t leave. Having a blast.
Jack – In my last comment maybe I should have said there is no reason for deceased spirits to hang around – under most circumstances.
Most choose to continue on their path of evolution. A few choose to hang around, for different reasons.
This might sound funny but I know that there are many levels of ‘deadness’. Some souls cut ties with their living loved ones altogether after a while, and some don’t until their loved ones have passed on, or reached a certain level of self-actualization on the earth plane.
My main area of work with the dead has been helping them to move on when they request assistance. They can definitely become earthbound and stuck here (in properties and also attached to people) because they’re afraid to move on or because they want to be connected to a loved one, but in this plane. That has given me a different perspective on how appropriate it is for the dead to hang around because I’ve seen the negative effects of it for the person who is having energy drawn from them. Often the person who is supporting the deceased spirit doesn’t know that it’s taking up a lot of energy until the spirit is no longer there and it makes energy suddenly available.
I know I can’t presume to know what is an ‘appropriate’ path to take, for another soul, dead or living. But I can say with some certainty that if you are interacting with a dead person on a regular basis, and they are residing in this plane without a physical 3D body, they are getting their energy from somewhere in this plane. That could be you, or it could be another person. It’s not possible for the dead to exist here effortlessly. It takes work and skill to communicate with the living and exist on this plane when you don’t have a (physical, 3D) body. Living humans are obviously supported in their lives in this plane because we have bodies that we can nourish, and we have an energy body connected to source, that interacts with the physical body, and emotional and mental bodies, among others. It all fits together nicely for functioning here in this plane. But for dead people, it’s an unusual choice to stay here, that has a price, thus there is always a reason not to move on. For your friend stuckness could be the price for staying here, or it could be something else. You will have more information on this than I do as you are the one who is actually communicating with this spirit.
Why don’t you ask your friend why he is still here? I think the answer would be interesting.
Sarah – I feel like your situation is a little different because your husband is still reachable and available (wherever he is) but I don’t feel he’s existing here in this plane. What do you feel about that? I feel he has developed his communication skills in this regard because of your relationship and bond but is not actually existing here. He isn’t moving on without you though, for whatever reason. But if you personally don’t find that draining right now, and you are enjoying the ongoing connection, then I guess there is no problem.
PS – if you send me your email address via the contact form, I can pass it on to Jack.