Last Sunday’s service was a very special one for me. But with all the elation that followed immediately afterwards, the next day brought with it a poignant sadness.

One of the Spirits who connected with me on Sunday had passed in very tragic circumstances, at the hands of someone else. What made it even more difficult to hear was that the crime remains unsolved to this day.

After the service, the recipient of the message came to speak to me and explained some of the evidence I had been giving.

Today, curiosity got the better of me, and I started searching online.

I found an old Crimewatch reconstruction of her murder.

In more than 20 years of linking with Spirit, I’ve never found myself in this situation before.

When her photograph appeared on the screen, I recognised the face I had seen in my mind’s eye on Sunday — right down to the small detail of her looking off to the left.

And I just felt incredibly sad.

I won’t pretend I didn’t shed a tear, because I did.

There are so many wonderful memories I’ll take with me from last Sunday’s service — the raspberries, Jerry the House Mouse, and so many other moments.

But the memory of linking with this lady, and the gentle, loving energy she brought with her, will remain with me for years to come too.

My name is Eamon Seix, and I’m a Spiritualist.

That’s a line I used to open an address I gave at a Spiritualist church recently.

And it’s true: sometimes, letting people in your life know that you’re a Spiritualist feels like you’re standing up at a meeting and admitting a shameful secret about yourself.

Not because you’re ashamed of being a Spiritualist, but because that person is likely never going to look at you in quite the same way again.

And that’s terrifying.

For a start, most people don’t actually know what Spiritualism is – i.e. a religion. In my case, my chosen religion.

“I am a Spiritualist” means so much more than what people sometimes assume it means – burning incense and owning a few crystals.

When you explain that it actually means you believe the human soul lives on beyond the physical body, you tend to get a quizzical look, but not necessarily resistance… yet.

When they inevitably ask you to explain what that means, and you tell them that you and your fellow Spiritualists believe this can be demonstrated through mediumship, channelling, trance and other forms of Spirit communication…

That’s usually when you get the raised eyebrow, and you’ve reached a fork in the road of your friendship.

Option 1: They’ve got another 101 questions to ask, and it’s only added another layer of colour to your already fabulously colourful relationship.

Option 2: They’re visibly uncomfortable. They still like you, but you’re now legit crazy in their eyes, and they’ve already started mentally phasing you out of their life.

I’ve experienced both of these scenarios.

And it’s never who you think will react the way you think they will.

Years ago, I worked in a company where it was well known that I was a Spiritualist and working medium – and that I was also quietly ridiculed for it behind my back.

On one of my last days in the office before I moved away, a bunch of us were chatting together when someone said that, now I was leaving, would I not just say or do something to prove my “abilities”?

I had always been fiercely protective of my beliefs in this kind of setting. I never discussed my mediumship at work, and I certainly never felt the need to prove it to anyone.

But for some reason, in that moment, I zeroed in on one of the girls, Louisa, and simply announced that she was named after her grandmother — but in reverse.

Louisa revealed that her full name was Louisa Margaret.

Her grandmother had been Margaret Louisa.

Knowing that I had her grandmother’s energy with me, I described her grandmother to her. The description itself was fairly ordinary, but then I suddenly asked:

“What’s wrong with the wing mirror of your car?”

One of the other guys in the office, Jay, immediately called me a freak.

He then confirmed that he and Louisa had been sitting in her car about five minutes earlier, discussing the repair of one of her wing mirrors.

The whole thing was over in less than three minutes.

But everyone was stunned.

And, I’ll admit, it felt fantastic!!

Because I knew Spirit had given me just enough to shut them all up once and for all… even if Louisa said afterwards that she didn’t believe in any of it anyway.

So, after my little mic-drop moment, I got up from my desk and started walking towards the kitchen to make myself a coffee.

Another girl, Sarah, was standing between me and the kitchen.

As I walked towards her, she took a step backwards.

I took another step.

She stepped backwards again.

I stopped when I realised what was happening.

She was scared of me.

She kept staring at me. She wouldn’t take a hug from me – and I was her office buddy too!

Every time I moved towards her, she backed away and asked me to “stay away” from her.

I remember that hurting a lot.

And it was a big lesson for me.

Who I really am, and what I really believe, is simply too much for some people to accept.

Which is quite ironic, really, when you consider that I’m a gay man who has received more backlash and ridicule for my religious beliefs during my lifetime than I ever have for my sexuality.

It’s taken me years to get to a point where I can simply say:

I am a Spiritualist.

No apologies. No regrets.

Yesterday, I wrote a post on my professional social media account about an upcoming church service. When I switched back to my personal account, I decided to share it there too.

Having taken a break from being an active Spiritualist for so many years, I did stop and think about the fact that quite a few people who would see it probably had no idea that this was such a significant part of who I am.

And, yes, I wondered whether some people might react negatively.

Thankfully, I can report that every reaction so far has been positive and encouraging.

And I haven’t had anyone unfriend me yet.

Either that’s a sign that times have changed…

Or I’m just better at picking friends these days!

A big part of my journey this time around will be education.

Today, compared with ten years ago, there are so many free daily services online, and workshops with tutors from around the world.

Spiritualism and spiritual education is now more accessible than ever!

In all of this, one idea came to me, and it’s one I’m now following through on: 100 Days with Spirit.

We know that having a strong relationship with Spirit is key to good communication.

For that reason, I’ve committed to spending time with Spirit every day. There’s no specific time limit, and no expectation of what should happen. No meditation, no sitting in the power. Just silence and communion, whatever my surroundings.

Although we’re only eight days into it so far, there have already been some startling revelations for me about my relationship with Spirit, how I work with them, and even my understanding of mediumship and Spirit communication. It’s incredible to think that some of the answers I’ve been searching for since the beginning of my journey twenty years ago have become clearer simply through this practice of silence.

There have been uncomfortable moments too – times of feeling awkward and fidgety – but that’s part of it as well. Learning to let my guard down and just allow Spirit to take a seat beside me, in my space.

I’m very much looking forward to seeing where this goes, and what else comes from it…