The Natural Cycles of Mediumship Development
Just as the year has the seasons of spring, summer, fall, and winter, the unfolding of mediumship, too, moves in predictable cycles. There are four parts to each cycle: expansion, consolidation, rest, and contraction. These cycles will repeat many times through our work as mediums, as we are initiated into deeper understandings and greater sensitivity. This is true for all mediums, no matter how long they have been practicing.
Expansion
During periods of expansion you will typically experience rapid growth. It seems like each meditation brings awesome insights. In circles, public demonstrations, or work with clients, you are able to bring through phenomenal evidence. You might feel like you are making significant progress toward your goals as a medium. During this time, you might also feel as if you are able to see spirit through a microscope: everything looks large and magnified. This period of expansion can last several weeks to several months before you enter a period of consolidation.
Consolidation
When you reach a consolidation period, you are probably happy with your mediumship, and you maintain the accomplishment of the period of expansion. You probably feel quite confident in the growth you have experienced. During consolidation, meditations tend to be peaceful and refreshing. We might experience less conscious spirit contact, but that is fine with us since we continue to be aware of the close contact with our spirit guides. During consolidation, you will still receive fresh insights and perspectives, though not as often or as profoundly as you did during the period of expansion.
Rest
Expansion and consolidation are followed by a period of rest. These times invariably feel as if you have hit a plateau. Try as you might, your mediumship does not seem to grow anymore, and you probably experience a sense of stagnation. During rest periods, we can grow terribly bored with meditation and with development or the home circles we attend. Day after day of receiving nothing can make us wonder if we really have any talent at all and whether our earlier growth was just blind luck.
In these moments, keep in mind that times of rest occur because there are usually other factors in your life that need to come into balance. Your new spiritual understanding has probably inspired significant changes in your life. There might be new relationships, jobs, or new places of residence to adjust to. Rest periods can last many months to several years.
Over the years, I have learned to recognize rest periods in my mediumship development as a reminder that I do live on earth and that there are things that I need to take care of. I find that rest periods are easier to handle when I engage in regular physical exercise.
This is also a good time to review the natural laws that govern mediumship and to redouble our efforts to apply them. I often manage to get myself out of a slump by volunteering more of my time to worthwhile causes. Amazingly, as I focus on serving others, my mediumship begins to bloom again—and I realize the slump is not as bad as I thought.
Contraction
You can tell you have reached the end of a rest when you hit the period of contraction. Invariably, during contraction, it appears as if your mediumship is sliding backward. You might be unable to achieve the same level of evidence or accuracy that you previously reached. You might even feel blocked in your ability to communicate with spirit.
Periods of contraction are usually painful, and they often coincide with a letting-go process in other areas of our life. While intensely uncomfortable and frustrating, periods of contraction don’t last very long, usually no more than several weeks at most.
The important thing to remember is that during periods of contraction, our spirit guides are usually working extra hard in preparing us for the next period of expansion. Rest up, and accept and honor this stage of mediumship. Do not become too pushy or too demanding of yourself or of your spirit guides.
I like to think of the period of contraction as the time when my guides have taken my mediumship “network” down to install an “upgrade.” Remember, when you download new updates for your computer, your computer is temporarily unable to perform its usual functions. The same is true for mediumship. Once the new network has been installed, you will be bursting into your next period of expansion and you will be able to operate with increased “bandwidth.”
Continue with your prayers, daily meditation, and regular physical exercise. Trust that all is as it needs to be. Resist the temptation to be hard on yourself. But most of all, don’t give up.