The Spiritual Journey: A Path Unique to Each of Us

The spiritual journey can look very different for everyone; each path is both unique and profound. Some are born into faith-based families, while others come to faith after a long and often painful road. What faith looks like for each person depends on many factors—culture, background, and upbringing. But I believe that no matter the religion or practice, we are all ultimately from the same source, the same Creator, whatever label we may place on that according to our faith.

My Early Foundations in Faith

Neither of my parents followed any faith, but I attended a Christian school, which gave me a solid foundation in values like honesty and integrity. I still carry that with me today. There was also an element of fear around consequences for lying—the belief that the truth must always be told. I still agree with that, though I believe there are rare situations where protecting your family from harm may call for discernment. In those moments, I trust that God understands the heart.

The Turning Point: Loss and Seeking Answers

My deeper faith journey began in 2011, after the passing of my father. I know many people who, like me, seek something to hold on to after the shock of losing someone close. It's during those times, when life feels chaotic and we're at our lowest, that we are most vulnerable. And it’s often then that we turn to something deeper for comfort. For me, that led to the local spiritualist church.

At that time, family relationships were already fractured. Alongside my grief, I also permanently stepped away from the dysfunction to cope with the emotional pain. It was in that place of loss that I began really praying to God, and seeking out mediums and psychics, hoping for some answers and reassurance. I would pray about this practice and initially felt I had God's backing and reassurance; there were some very reassuring and uplifting experiences.

Exploring Spiritual Gifts

Over the next five years, I trained and worked to develop my spiritual gifts through mediumship. I remember experiencing severe headaches before working with spirit—apparently, a normal occurrence in those circles. What started out as light, peaceful evenings gradually became heavier. Before working, I would feel this wave of exhaustion come over me. As mediums, that’s how we enter a trance state so that a spirit can use our vessel to communicate.

I had once questioned the validity of trance demonstrations… until it happened to me. It didn’t scare me, but something felt off. As I surrendered and another presence came in, it no longer felt as loving or light as it had in the beginning.

Can We Really Know Who We're Communicating With?

In times of grief, confusion, and vulnerability, the spirit world seems to offer something for us: answers, hope, even connection to those we’ve lost. But a question I didn’t ask soon enough was: Do we really know who or what we’re communicating with?

When we're lost or in pain, we want to reach for anything that feels comforting. That’s how I got drawn in with curiosity, and then slowly hooked. Over time, the path that once felt full of light began to darken. I was giving my energy to something I didn’t fully know or understand.

Just because something responds doesn’t mean it's necessarily for our highest good. The spirit world is real, yes, but so is deception. I’ve come to understand deeply that unless God allows it, we shouldn't be calling into that realm ourselves. If God wants to send a message, it will happen. We don’t need to go knocking on every door to find it.

Discernment and a Shift in Faith

Later, the answer came simply and beautifully. If we truly have faith and know God, why are we calling on spirits or even angels? God answered my prayers directly, just as I had surrendered fully to Him. The very next day, I received a message from a young man in Spirit to pass on to his mother. To me, that was God showing me: it’s okay, when God allows it.

So, the message here isn’t to reject the spiritual or the unseen, but to approach it with discernment and prayer. Seek the highest of all High—our almighty God—who can help us in all things. When we open ourselves to God, trust, and walk in faith, we will be guided. And sometimes, yes, God may choose to speak through others.

Still Learning, Still Growing

This journey continues to unfold, and what I’ve come to realise is the more I think I know, the more I recognise how little I do. God continues to humble me, to teach me, and to astound me.

✨ Faith Perspectives on Spirit Communication

Here’s a brief snapshot of how various traditions view communication with spirits or the unseen:

Christianity

  • Warns against mediumship and communicating with the dead.
  • Deuteronomy 18:10–12 explicitly forbids consulting spirits or engaging in necromancy, calling it detestable to God.
  • Messages from God are believed to come through prayer, the Holy Spirit, scripture, and prophecy, and not summoned spirits.

Islam

  • Very clear prohibition against seeking communication with spirits or jinn.
  • Belief in jinn (both good and bad) is part of Islamic theology, but humans are warned not to engage with them.
  • Seeking knowledge through spirit communication is considered haram (forbidden) and opens the door to deception.

Judaism / Kabbalah

  • Orthodox Judaism also forbids necromancy and mediumship (see Leviticus 19:31).
  • Kabbalistic traditions explore the spiritual realms deeply but caution that uninitiated or impure contact can attract misleading or dangerous forces.
  • Only the most spiritually refined practitioners are allowed to engage in limited forms of divine communication with God as the source.

Hinduism

  • Acknowledges multiple planes of existence, spirits, and energies.
  • Communication with ancestors is part of some rituals (like Shraddha), but is generally guided by strict protocol and intention.
  • Blind or casual communication with spirits is discouraged as it can attract restless or malevolent beings.

Buddhism

  • Focuses on mind training, compassion, and liberation from suffering.
  • Spirits and supernatural entities exist in Buddhist cosmology, but the emphasis is on detachment and inner development.
  • Seeking spirits is generally viewed as a distraction from enlightenment, and attachments to such experiences are seen as spiritual traps.