James Van Praagh Opens the Door to the Spirit World
Plenty of ordinary people go for it too. “People talk about this stuff more,” says Van Praagh. It’s no longer considered weird to seek out mediums and explore psychic connections. The willingness to seek connection across space and time, Van Praagh says, comes with a huge payoff—the insight that grief is unnecessary. Even on the other side, people still long to connect. Once you realize that consciousness doesn’t die, perspective immediately expands. As Van Praagh puts it, “Once you alleviate that fear of death, you can really start to live.”
Peppered throughout the lively interview are some fascinating tidbits about the so-called “dead.” Van Praagh asserts that they tend to come back the age of the time of life they liked best, which typically is their 20s or 30s. Often, they communicate through fond, shared memories, invoking some of the favorite times both parties enjoyed. And when there are electricity disturbances, pay attention— often the dead can cause havoc with the currents and make a dramatic entry.
What I love about Van Praagh is that he makes after-death communication democratic. Rather than portraying it as an esoteric art, he demystifies it to the point that it seems like a skill anyone can learn. Here are a few of his preferred practices for becoming more sensitized to the spirit world—which includes animals, too:
The No. 1 way to communicate is the dream state, he says. Invite whoever it is you long to be in touch with into your dreams. Because you are not in your critical brain when you dream, you are much more receptive to messages. But don’t just try once and then give up. It’s a process, he says, of training the mind to be more quiet and open.
