Love Yourself More Than Anyone Else Could - James Van Praagh

Me and James Van Praagh

I am still catching up on my blogs, so I gathered my notes from James Van Praagh's workshop from October 2019...yes I have quite a bit of catching up to do! 

"Love yourself more than anyone else could," was the first quote I scribbled in my journal from James' Discover Your Spiritual Superpowers! workshop. That is certainly a beautiful affirmation from someone I have admired for over 25 years.

Hay House Live! Discover Your Spiritual Superpowers!

Saturday morning October 5, 2019, I prepared to go at the Houston Convention Center to attend the Hay House Live! workshop with James Van Praagh. I have followed James ever since he appeared on the television series The Other Side in 1994. He had his own show Beyond With James Van Praagh in 2002, he was the creator and executive producer of The Ghost Whisperer, wrote more than a dozen books, to name a few of his many accomplishments. As a child, I was an avid book reader (apparently that has never left me), and topics that fascinated me even in my youth, were about psychic abilities and life beyond death.

As usual, I said a prayer and visualized how the event would unfold, before I arrived at the venue. I pictured myself sitting in the front row, right in the center. I envisioned a wonderful lecture, meeting kind souls, and of course having a moment with James Van Praagh. I always pray "all this or even better," as the Universe usually has better in store than we can imagine. I also add in "all for my highest good." The reason I do that, is because, we can decide how we want things to work out, and get stuck there. I know I used to. Sometimes things don't go the way we want them to. What I believe now, is that if it isn't in my best interest, it won't happen. I believe that everything is working out for me, even if it doesn't look that way at the time. Because of this view, I am not disappointed when things don't work out the way I want them to. I feel that I am being Divinely guided, either away from something not right for me, or guided towards something better. It is a more positive way to look at all of the events that happen in your life. 

Front and center always!

When I walked in the door to the class, just as I had visualized, my seat was waiting for me. I plopped down my tote bags and said a quiet thank you. I was early of course, I always am. I visualize what I want, but I do participate in making it happen. I'm not forcing it, but I am a co-creator in my life along with the Universe. If I arrived on time, it would be more left to chance as to where I would sit. I had no way of knowing if I would be first in the room or not, but I felt I would be. Some people like being in the back, some people don't care where they sit, I just want to see everything, every expression, every moment. I feel more connected that way.

A kindness left behind.

I also like to arrive early so I can leave a kindness for someone to find as part of my Kindness...Pass It On Mission. I left a Kindness necklace with a Lao Tzu quote along with a note and a butterfly for someone to find. I don't put my name on it, just good wishes for a happy day. Sometimes I get just a random "thank you" message sent to my website. For a long time I didn't catch on that people were expressing gratitude for the intentional acts of kindness left behind. I chuckled at myself for my lack of awareness when I finally figured it out. I wasn't expecting a thank you, I just want to share some love, that's more than enough.

I took some photos of the room and sat down as people began to file in. Everyone was friendly and were introducing themselves and chatting away. This tall, otherworldly young man began sharing his healing experiences to me. He traveled from Washington state to Texas just to meet James Van Praagh. He told me about several miraculous healings he facilitated. He didn't have any particular training such as Reiki, it was just flowing through him and he intuitively knew what to do. He was very kind and wanted to heal the world without any type of compensation. I talked to him a little about that, as I do believe an energy exchange (healing for money, which is also energy), is not a bad thing at all. You would pay a doctor, a plumber, anyone for services, why should a healer be free? I think more value is given to it that way, and receiving that energy (money) back makes things more balanced for everyone involved. He was working to get a website together. I told him that I did social media and marketing for years, gave him my business card and told him if he ever needed help, to reach out. He seemed so touched by my offer, he had tears in his eyes and gave me a big hug. Then he held my hand, and gave me some healing energy! How lovely is that, and the class hadn't even started yet! "All this or even better" - for sure!

Soon a new friend sat next to me. Her name is Linda and she is a tarot and oracle card reader and such a sweet soul. I even booked a reading with her the following week, which I will be writing about soon. I'm not sure why I didn't think to get a picture together with her! Here's her website if you want a reading: www.lindajoneslightreader.com

My new friend Linda.

And then James Van Praagh entered the room. He was so funny and captivating. It really was a thrill to learn from this renowned psychic and medium. The workshop was to help find out if you are a psychic, healer, or medium. At the time, with my Reiki Master certification, I only felt like a healer. I always felt that psychic and mediumship abilities had to be something you were born with. But this class was quite a third eye opener!

James talked about fear, and how it holds us back from our gifts. He said there are two ways to look at it and he shared these acronyms: FEAR = False Ego Appearing Real or Fuck Everything And Run. After a hearty laughter from the audience, we all agreed the former was the one to go with, although our tendency is the latter.

He had us do this wonderful Mountain Exercise. It was like a guided meditation, but we did it with a notebook in hand to jot down what we saw along the journey that James led us on. We would walk and come upon a bridge, a boulder, crystals, and more. We would need to describe what we saw or what we did. When he finished the journey, he reviewed it all with us, and each aspect of the journey had a parallel to our current life's journey. 

James Van Praagh

During the psychic portion of the class, James said that we are all psychic.Everything is energy. That part I already knew from my Reiki classes, but I never thought of myself as psychic. James said that what holds us back is unworthiness, distractions like our phone, and more. This made sense, I know that my intuition is stronger when I take time to meditation, to focus inward and let go of all of the distractions.

We did a healing exercise to recognize our fears and turn them into love. It was a much better way to look at everything. One of the things I feared was not fulfilling my life purpose here. I turned it into love by stating: I am on purpose right now. And I've thought about this alot since the class. I don't think our purpose is necessarily tied to a career. I don't think it's about making alot of money, although we shouldn't think that because we are doing something that we love, that it can't be monetarily rewarding too. I think our purpose may be as simple as learning to love yourself, learning to forgive (even if it is just yourself), understanding differences in others, overcoming prejudices, realizing you are worthy of a healthy relationship. It doesn't have to be about making this huge mark on the planet, it's about elevating yourself, healing yourself, learning, learning, and learning. 

James said the first place of healing is in the mind, and our resistance holds back healing. He made us think about what we are resisting. My resistance is feeling unworthy. But I'm working on it.

We also had to make a list of what we love about ourselves. Have you ever tried that? I highly recommend. See if it's easy or challenging for you. If it is challenging, keep doing it until you are comfortable, and believe all of the wonderful things about yourself. Here's some of mine: I help others. I am smart. I love cats. I write well. Spirituality and personal growth are important to me. I have artistic talent. 

James Van Praagh

James led us through mediumship exercises. Linda and I worked together. She did a reading on me, and I did one on her. It really was fun and I was surprised that I actually saw someone in my mind for her. I wasn't expecting to see anything, but it opened up the possibility that I could. Honestly prior to this, I was a little afraid to be able to see people from "the beyond," but after this class I am fine with it! And since this class, I have seen departed people and pets more and more. I began to start noticing when I worked with Reiki clients. I am in their energy field, so this makes sense. I would see flashes of pictures at first, but all of a sudden I would see a face and I would know intuitively that it was a mother who passed, or a beloved dog. And when I would share this information, the client usually burst into tears because of how much that person or pet meant to them. I am no more gifted than anyone else, in other words, anyone can do this. And James helped me to see that. I think what is different than most, is the desire. One of the Reiki Masters I trained under had no desire to ever let anyone who has passed on into her space. She shuts it out. I don't want anything negative, but I love the fact that when we are "gone" we really aren't gone at all. We just shed our bodies. 

After the workshop we all had a moment to have a book signed and say a few words of thanks to James. It truly was an honor and something I will always cherish.

Me & James Van Praagh

During one of the breaks I stopped to say hello to Starsha Maree. She ran some of the Hay House Facebook pages include the Hay House Wisdom Community. She is as lovely and kind in person as she is on social media.

Starsha Maree & me!

I also waited to get a book signed by Robert Holden after his workshop was complete. He just exudes love and kindness.

Me & Dr. Robert Holden

And before I returned to the hotel I was staying at, I left The Seven Laws of Spiritual Success by Deepak Chopra, along with a butterfly magnet for someone to find at the convention center.

Another kindness left behind.

This was such an enlightening experience, and all that James Van Praagh taught about being a psychic, healer, and medium has allowed these abilities to blossom in me since the class. I trust myself more. I love myself more. As James says, I have "learned to love myself more than anyone else could."

Here are some ways to learn more about James Van Praagh:

Adventures of the Soul - Book: Click Here and Oracle Cards: Click Here

Wisdom From Your Spirit Guides: Click Here

James Van Praagh's website: Click Here

In Gratitude & Love,

Kerri Mulhern

www.suitablegifts.com