This is the second part of a two-part inteview I did with Julie Christensen.
As alluded to in the first part of this conversation, I met Julie Christensen while working on a family history project. Julie’s mom went to high school with my late father’s best friend, Hank Carbonell, the subject of my research.
I didn’t have a lot to go on. Hank died when his fighter plane crashed in 1943 and I couldn’t find much in the government archives.
Julie checked the high school yearbook but alas there was very little about Hank.
After conversing a bit more with Julie I discovered that she made her living as a psychic medium.
She volunteered to assist my exploration in a manner I never considered—as a medium. Julie seemed quite confident that she could make the connection and I was happy to take her up on her offer.
I was fascinated by her work and wanted to better understand her modus operandi. How in the heck does she do this?
By reading the interview below, you’ll have a much better idea of how a psychic medium, or at least how Julie, operates.
Julie makes her home in Rocklin, California (near Sacramento) and calls her company Luminous Passages, LLC. She works both in the US and internationally helping to connect her clients with Spirit. In doing so, in her words, she helps them “heal and awaken to their true nature and authentic selves”.
Her methodology is “evidential mediumship”. This means she will help the client establish who they are communicating with on the other side by ferreting out clues about the deceased individual’s traits, hobbies, habits, physical description, etc.
Julie also assists others in developing their psychic mediumship abilities and navigating spiritual awakenings through intuitive counseling.
Unlike most people in her line of work, she is a licensed marriage and family therapist where she specializes in grief and trauma therapy in a separate business.
Julie has a master’s degree in counseling psychology with a specialization in transpersonal psychology from John F. Kennedy University received in 1999.
We connected via Zoom for this interview.
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Rob: I have a question about the process of connecting to people on the other side. Let’s say, I’m a client, and I want to speak to my father or my mother who have passed. Do I simply let you know whom I want to connect with and then they come to you?
Julie: That’s one way to do it. However, and it’s a big however, at the beginning I don’t want to know anything about who they’re looking for. If the first spirit that visits isn’t who they’re looking for, then I’ll give them the option to tell me they want their dad or mom or whomever.
Keep in mind there’s usually a good reason for whoever comes in first. It’s funny because sometimes I’ll get three other spirits in before the one they really want comes in. After connecting with the first ones, we realize had the one the client wanted showed up first, we would have spent all the time with that particular spirit and no one else would have gotten a chance to communicate. I think sometimes they hold back for that reason, or to be polite, and sometimes they hide a bit if they feel guilty or badly.
Rob: So, it’s up to the people on the other side to show up if they want to show up?
Julie: Yeah. And they usually do. However, it can also be people you never even met before, say ancestors who want to connect.
Rob: How does the process of connecting with someone on the other side work for you?
Julie: I breathe into the top of my head. I raise my vibration. I open up. On the client or “sitter” side, the more open he or she is, the better.
Rob: Can you see the spirit with your eyes?
Julie : I use my third eye, not my “regular” eyes. It’s like, I’m seeing a black screen, and someone just approaches me, and it becomes more technicolor. And I may see them sitting somewhere or standing, and what they’re wearing, what do they look like, and I’ll try to describe these things. Then, I may pick up hobbies. This person liked to fish, play golf, etc. They may be tall, short, overweight, bald, etc.
Rob: So, when you first meet a client, you really don’t want them to tell you anything about the person you want to connect with?
Julie: That’s an extremely important point. I don’t want to hear any details about the person who has passed. Let me find out who it is. Once you determine its dad, the one you wanted to speak to, we can talk. Then, you can be specific, and we can all have a nice gathering.
My mediumship is evidence-based. I want to give the sitter enough information for them to recognize, “That’s my dad.” And it could be their personality. “This was a really educated person. He had lots of books in the room.” And they can come in at any age. So, I’ll see them. I’ll hear them, and sometimes I feel them too.
Sometimes they might show me how they passed. It’ll be more visual or sometimes I can feel things.
For example, with our friend,, Hank, who was an WWII Army Air Corps pilot I connected with. He showed me how his plane went down by taking me to the cockpit. I could feel his fear, feel the plane shake, the control stick shudder and hear the noise of the engine. Most people won’t show me a death scene that intense, but he did.
Rob: Can you provide another example?
Julie: In doing a reading for my mother (age 92 then), her aunt whom she’d never met before, showed up. The next thing I know, I was taken to 1910 Berlin. I was walking down these snowy streets. The aunt is in a long coat dress with little shoes, looking in windows. And it was like I was experiencing really being in 1910 Berlin. It was like I was there. I mean, it was pretty wild. It’s fun to do readings with the elderly because it is so easy to reach spirits further back in time.
Rob: How specific can the client be with questions?
Julie: Well, if you’re trying to get the password on a cellphone, that’s probably a bit too specific for me. I can’t usually get those kinds of details. It’s not my strong suit.
Rob: You know what’s mind-blowing is that the fact that we’re interacting with somebody on the other side who is trying to help us in the living world? That’s mind-blowing.
Julie: Well, I think really, it’s all about love. And yeah, they do want to help us, and they do care about us.
Rob: You once told me that people who have passed may want to visit us. How do I know if they’re around me? What do I look for?
Julie: Often it will be through feeling them. It’s like the feeling you get when you rub your hands together and then slowly bring them together like you’re in prayer. At that moment you can feel there’s a little resistance. That’s what it feels like when a spirit is up against you. It’s very subtle. A sitter could also experience chills in a room that’s warm, and that’s a spirit coming closer. You also might hear things. A spirit encounter could sound like a garbage can clinking, or a “Hey,” or “Hi,” or probably very brief.
You may even experience clairvoyance, which is clear-seeing. You may just sense a shadow out of the corner of your eye, and you turn to look, and it’s gone. Or it could just look like there’s an outline of something across the room, but you can’t really make it out.
If any of those things happen, just relax and ask them to come closer. And then, in your mind, you can ask “Can you show me yourself? Is there more you’d like to say? Who is this?” Be curious.
Other ways spirits will communicate may be lights flickering or they can influence butterflies. You may find feathers, things with the radio, the clock, and other experiences. An unusual odor specific to that spirit might also be present. You might smell something a bit different. The spirit could be influencing you to see a bird, or it could influence a bird’s behavior.
Rob: What about people visiting us in dreams?
Julie: Dreams are one of the easiest ways for them to communicate with us. You wake up and it’s like, “Wow. I swear my aunt was there. I could see her and feel her.” It just doesn’t feel like a regular dream. That’s them trying to visit you.
Rob: Is there a particular situation where you could invite visitors?
Julie: You can try anytime but there’s what is called spirit time, between 2:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. Let’s say you’re awake and you want to invite in guests. You can ask them to visit you silently in your mind or even out loud.
Rob: Would you ask for a particular individual to join you?
Julie: You could. However, I would keep the invitation open as wide as you can. If you’re focused on just one person, you’re going to be reaching and trying because it may be somebody you really miss. However, it’s better to just be very receptive and open. The trick is to just be lying there and be receptive for something to come to you versus you trying with your mind to make something happen.
Rob: Isn’t a bit dangerous to be so wide open?
Julie: That’s a great question. I tell people you attract what you’re afraid of so don’t be afraid. If you want, you can ask for only those from the light and for your highest and best good.
Rob: You alluded in an earlier conversation that we’re never alone. What did you mean by that, Julie?
Julie: Many of us feel very alone and we don’t like to feel alone. But when you talk to spirits or you get a reading you find out, “Wow, they’re actually with me and watching me.” You find out you’re not alone. So, if you ever feel lonely, realize that you’re not alone. Try to connect and hang out with somebody. For me, it’s like meeting friends.
Rob: Would you have any advice for aspiring mediums?
Julie: Well, I would say, go for it. First, assess what you already have going. (You may not even realize the gifts you have). And then, you work to develop it.
Rob: Is there tipping point or epiphany typical in a medium’s development to know this is real?
Julie: When I’m working with people who are developing their skills, one of the biggest challenges is to not dismiss your experiences. You might question, “Is this even real, what I’m doing? Maybe I just made it up, or I just got lucky.” There’s lots of ways to devalue what you’re doing so you need to be conscious of that.
In my case there was a tipping point. I had done over 40 readings or more probably. I was driving down the road one evening and it just washed over me that this is real. People are on the other side and I’m really communicating with them. I’m never going to be the same. I can’t go back to who I was before.
Julie : I am going to change the subject for a moment. I need to ask you something.
Rob: Of course, what is it?
Julie: So, as we’ve been talking, I keep getting drawn to the shell necklaces hanging on the doorknob. Is there anything unusual about them? Is there anything meaningful? How you got them? Who you got them from?
Rob: Those are necklaces from Tahiti. I got them from friends. You want me to bring them closer to the webcam?
Julie: Yeah. let me look at them. So, I’m still drawn to the same necklace. The one with the big shells. How did you come to get that?
Rob: These were gifts.
Julie: That’s what I’m thinking. And I feel like it came from a female. I mean, not necessarily somebody you were dating.
Rob: Well, I have some items in my house from a woman whom I wasn’t dating. It was somebody who was very important to me.
Julie: And is that from that same person?
Rob: It could have been.
Julie: Would that person have had blondish hair? Oh, God. Are you aware of whatever happened to that person? Do you think they’re still here, or have they crossed over? (Julie knew she had passed but didn’t want to surprise me with that comment).
Rob: They’ve crossed over for sure.
Julie: That’s fine. I feel teary right now which is her emotions. Because that person is here for you. She’s wanting to send you love and blessings and that you were an important part of her life, and if it didn’t all go well. I don’t know.
Rob: Oh, that’s sweet. Would you want to hear the crazy thing?
Julie: Yeah.
Rob: I spoke to her 101-year-old mom two days ago.
Julie: Okay. Twilight zone here.
Rob: We had a close connection via Tahiti. That’s wonderful that she’s here.
Julie: But that necklace. She’s using it to get to you. So, this is a good example for us. Because the other thing is, everything is energy. And even readings, it’s all about energy. That spirit was drawing me over to that necklace to ask you what the heck is going on.
Rob: I have been thinking about her of late. Rebecca was her name.
Julie: Yeah. I think she’s also wishing you well with your writing. She’s just passing on blessings to you.
Rob: Thanks, Julie. Thank you for bringing her in.
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Author’s Note: The object of the interview was not planned as a ‘medium event’ but it ended that way. I certainly got more than I bargained for. I Having Rebecca, my old friend, contact me via Julie was an unexpected pleasure.
If you’d like to get in touch with Julie for a reading or one of her other services, please visit www.luminouspassages.com.