PM: 073 - Ancient Yogic Wisdom Meets Modern Mediumship with Gurdeep Bhogal

#073 Trance Medium, Gurdeep Bhogal,  is in the studio to share her incredible knowledge on where ancient yogic wisdom  meets modern mediumship.  When working with clients, Gurdeep uses a trance mediumistic connection, and as she blends her energy, with the energy of her spirit team and deity energies, she uses ancient Indian Yogic Mudras, or hand gestures, and works with her client’s energy centres to bring about balance on many levels.  It’s a deep, deep healing modality and I just know you are going to learn so much by listening to this episode.

My name is Ann Théato, and the mission of the Psychic Matters Podcast, is to teach you proven techniques for spiritual and psychic development from the comfort of your own home. I investigate the teachings of experts across the globe, to bring you their wisdom, their advice and their spiritual wealth.

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Ann

Hello everybody my name is Ann Théato and welcome to Episode 73 of the Psychic Matters podcast!   As some of you know I broke my leg in two places a couple of weeks’ ago and I have to say it’s been a very difficult couple of weeks, being housebound and for the most time, bed bound, with my leg elevated on pillows.  I’ve gone out a couple of times in a wheelchair, so I’m also wheelchair bound and as a consequence of my injuries, I have had to cancel things from my diary, things which I was really looking forward to.  And that’s been really hard.  Letting go of things.  I’m a great believer in the quicker you accept a set of circumstances, the less painful it feels, the less stress you put yourself under and the less brainpower it takes up.  In some ways I was good at embracing my new situation, great at it really, I was all in good spirits for week one.  People were incredibly kind, came to visit, I got given the use of two wheelchairs for as long as I need them, one self-propelled and one pushed by someone else, I’m so grateful for those and for the kind people who leant them to me and those who visited or who sent wonderful well wishes on Facebook and by email and those who sent healing to me.  Thank you, I’m immensely grateful.

Sadly, I’ve had to pull out of my CSNUt exam, which I was due to sit on 6,7,8 October.  I was really upset about that because, as you all know, this is my 7th year of training with the SNU, and it means I now can’t take it until next year – so that will be year 8 of training.  I’m sure I could have been a qualified Marine Biologist by now (another passion of mine) or a qualified Lawyer, Vet or Doctor.  But there we have it.  Good things come to those who wait. And wait. And wait.  I’m learning patience I tell you that much.  And I’ve learned an awful lot about disability and people’s attitudes to someone who is disabled since I’ve been temporarily waylaid.  It has been incredibly enlightening and I am writing a book about it.  In fact, I might even do a podcast episode on my experiences and what I have learned from being taken out of the game and put on the benches.

Last week I asked you to leave me a written review to cheer me up and I’m delighted to say thank you to Gina M who left me a wonderful review and Gina says “The episode ,Wisdom on the Camino with Kathleen Donnelly Israel was wonderful! She truly is an inspiration to others to follow your heart and really push beyond your comfort zone to open up your soul and truly enjoy living. The questions posed really gave opening to understanding a lot about this pilgrimage!! I so enjoyed this podcast !”  Well thank you Gina for writing that and I’m so grateful to you for leaving that review which really gave me a boost when I needed it, bless you.

If you’d like to leave a written review, you can do so on Apple podcasts or a website called Podchaser.com

Now, to this week’s episode.  I’m so excited to introduce you to my guest this week, Gurdeep Bhogal, who is in the studio to share her incredible knowledge on ancient yogic wisdom and where it meets modern mediumship.  When working with clients, Gurdeep uses a trance mediumistic connection, and as she blends her energy, with the energy of her spirit team and deity energies, she uses ancient Indian Yogic Mudras, or hand gestures, and works with her client’s energy centres to bring about balance on many levels.  It’s a deep, deep healing modality and I just know you are going to learn so much by listening to this episode so get your cup of tea at the ready and settle in your favourite armchair.

Ann  

In the studio today, I'm so excited to introduce to you all, Intuitive and Trance Medium, Yoga and Meditation Teacher and Reiki Master Teacher, Gurdeep Bhogal. Welcome Gurdeep, to Psychic Matters.

Gurdeep  

Thank you so much, Ann, I'm so pleased to be here with you today in the studio. And I really appreciate you inviting me to do this podcast.

Ann  

Well, we appreciate your time Gurdeep, because I know that you are actually on holiday with your family at the moment. So it's lovely that you've carved out time for us during that special time.

Gurdeep  

Yeah, absolutely. And it's so nice to be in England right now reconnecting with family and friends. And very exciting to do this as well.

Ann  

You have had such a fascinating life Gurdeep. I mean, I've gone on your website, and I've had a really good look at your training and the things that you're doing. I'm so excited to find out all about it. Tell us about your journey of trance mediumship development.

Gurdeep  

Thank you for asking that question Ann.  Trance mediumship is something that now I practice quite a bit of, but how I came about becoming a trance medium was a very interesting journey. So I actually began my mediumship development as a medium around about 18 or so years ago, at the Swampscott Church of Spiritualism in Massachusetts. And as I was starting to develop as a medium, I was studying evidential mediumship and practicing evidential mediumship. As we know, in mediumship circles, that's sometimes called mental mediumship, where you blend with the spirit of deceased loved ones, and you bring through evidence that it is them, and that their lives have continued beyond the change called death, and that you're connecting with them and bringing through evidence of the continuity of life. And so that's where I began, and then after many years of developing my mediumship, with various teachers, and I have to say, and I've been so lucky with all of the teachers that I've been able to have as my mentors, and so grateful to them, and then roundabout 2015 I visited the Arthur Findlay College in Stansted in England.  And I was actually studying just a regular mediumship week at Arthur Findlay College. And it was absolutely amazing. The college itself is, as I'm sure you know, an amazing place to study and to just be in the atmosphere of the great mediums of the past and present. And really, it's what, it was one of those moments where a book falls off a shelf. So, in the bookstore in the Arthur Findlay College, a book on trance mediumship kind of came my way. And I picked it up and connected with this book. And the book was actually by the amazing trance medium Judith Seaman. And I've subsequently studied a little bit with Judith and she's an also an amazing teacher. And then I went home and I read this book, and I just couldn't put it down. Because all of the information that was contained in there was so fascinating to me. As a child, I was always interested in spirituality. But I wasn't one of these people who is what you call a natural born medium.  I did have lots of different spiritual and other worldly experiences. But I never really saw spirit, or had that kind of experience that other mediums do. But when I read this book, it just drew me in. And I really wanted to know more. But then I put the book aside. And I was also starting studying to be a yoga teacher. So to become a yoga teacher, you have to initially do 200 hours of yoga teacher training. And I always say that spirit has kind of like, led me along this path to mediumship and to teaching yoga, meditation and spirituality. And so during my yoga teacher training, I began to open up to spirit in a way that I hadn't before. And I didn't realise at the time, but it was actually through the practice of yoga and meditation, and going deeper into intentional self study, and deep meditation, and learning about and doing all of the different various practices within the yogic tradition that really opens you up to the soul. And so anyway, I saw this course that Tony Stockwell was teaching at The Journey Within in New Jersey. And I've always wanted to study with Tony. And so I signed up to this course. And, of course, the course was in trance mediumship. And I went to New Jersey in 2016, and studied with Tony. And it was a curious thing that happened, because in the beginning of the week, I really felt like I wasn't really connecting with spirit, through specifically the form of trance mediumship. But then, as the week progressed, I started to feel myself opening up little by little. And then on the very last day of the course, we had to do this exercise with a partner. And I ended up with this partner who was a slightly more experienced trance medium. And so I was sitting with her, and all of a sudden, she went into the altered state, which is trance mediumship. And it was interesting because her eyes kind of rolled back in the sockets. And she kind of made these shapes with her hands, which I subsequently realised were what we know as Mudras or yogic hand gestures. And all of a sudden, she started speaking, and bringing through, what at the time I called my spirit guides, or my spirit team. But it was so fascinating, because at the same time, I felt this feeling that I had never felt before. And it was like this feeling of unconditional love and overflowing in my heart centre. And it kind of permeated through the whole of my being. And I started crying, but they weren't tears of sadness, but rather tears of love and a feeling held in a way that I had never felt before. It was this really beautiful, intense feeling of being nurtured and held by my spirit team, by my Spirit Guides. And the message was really beautiful as well, because as a medium, as a mental medium, I do use all of the various senses that we use as mediums. So clairvoyance, which is clear seeing, clairaudience, clear hearing. And I'm much more of a clairsentient medium, and claircognisance and clairsentience are probably the more prominent senses for me. But so this feeling that I had, it was in my body, and yet it was permeating all of these different layers. And it was so intense and beautiful. And my spirit team said to me, we know that you've been asking to see us, and to reveal ourselves to you. And that will come with time. And then the the rest of the message was something along the lines of, you know, just showing me that they were with me, and that they loved me, and that they were supporting my journey. And it was really, afterwards, something that I couldn't stop thinking about. And it was one of the most important moments, I think, in my development and in my life. Because when I look back at it now I see that it was like a spiritual awakening experience. And I had already had as a kind of spiritual awakening experience around 18 years ago, when I first was led to the Swampscott Church of Spiritualism in Massachusetts, which subsequently became a very important kind of spiritual home for me. And at that time, I had, funnily enough, and I've been led to the church, I'd moved to the States to work a job for British Airways, so I had this really wonderful corporate career and moved to the states and thought I would be there for maybe a year or two. And then spirit led me to the Swampscott Church of Spiritualism. And that was quite a fascinating story as well. And I really know that I was guided there. But what happened was, there was a guy, a visiting lecturer who had had a near death experience. And after he had come out of his near death experience, he realised that he had healing abilities. And so it was a lecture that he was giving to the church, and I'd gone along. And then at one point, he said something like, and so are you ready? And I don't know what he was asking, what I was ready for, but I just said, yes. And then all of a sudden, I had this feeling. And my right arm started to vibrate, and shake. And I had this feeling of, it was like a feeling of electricity that was moving through the whole of my body. And I've never felt that before. And so it was quite fascinating. But I knew that there was nothing wrong with me. So I knew that it was something that was a positive experience, and something that was a good experience. And it wasn't something to worry about. And so at that point, that was at the beginning of my mediumship development, I started to go to mediumship development classes, I started to learn more about healing and healing modalities. And this movement, and this shaking would happen every time I connected with spirit, or sat in a mediumship circle, or did some healings and hands on healing, and then subsequently went on to do Reiki training. And so every time I would do healing, I would feel this vibration, it felt like a vibration, and a feeling of electricity moving through the whole of my body. But if you were looking at me from the outside, it manifested more just in my right arm. And it would only really happen in those moments. And so I think, though, that was my first real awakening moments.  And then back to Tony's class in New Jersey in 2016, that very profound spiritual awakening experience, where I really felt my Spirit Guides connecting with my soul through my heart. So yes, there's a long answer to a short question.

Ann  

It's amazing. I love your story. So far, it's absolutely fascinating. And I've got some questions about some of the things you've just said. You spoke about how spirit led you to the Swampscott Spiritualist church. And maybe you could say a little bit more about how, what is that? How does Spirit lead us? Because maybe there are people listening. How can I get my spirit team to lead me somewhere? How can I listen to the more? How does that manifest? How did it manifest for you? 

Gurdeep  

Yeah, that's a really great question Ann.  And, you know, I also teach intuitive and mediumship development and also do Reiki trainings. And so I like to say to my students in any of the modalities, including yoga, and also a yoga teacher, that, you know, we really need to become in touch with the fact that we are more than just the physical body and that we are more than just a physical being. But in actual fact, we have many layers of being. And I always also say, which has kind of become a quotation, that everything in life is a practice. And so what we're really doing when we train as mediums and healers is, we're really getting away from the conditioning that we've received, you know, through our lives, through our parents, through culture, and this conditioning that really connects us with our brain and our mind. And so with that conditioning, we become attached to the stories that we create in our mind, and the identification with the small self. So for example, Gurdeep is my name. And when I think about myself, I identify myself as this physical human being, whose name is Gurdeep and I'm a sum of all of the experiences that I've had with my family and friends, etc. And so when we start to move into this space of internal self study, which is a part of yoga practice, as well, when we start to go into that place, and when we start to meditate, and connect with our soul and connect with our natural, intuitive abilities, which everybody actually has, what we're really doing is we're allowing the boundaries of the soul identify itself to dissolve. And we're expanding into our, the true nature of our being, which is actually that we are this soul, which is not just a part of spirit, but is spirit. And so the more we practice, things like meditation, things like all of the various aspects of yoga, like breath work, which is called pranayama, intentional self study. And when we practice things like in the spiritualist tradition, sitting in the power, one of those things, are tools to enable us to become more in tune with our true nature, which is this multi-dimensional being, that with practice, we're able to transcend time and space on the physical plane, and to reach other dimensional spaces. So sometimes we call other dimensional spaces, the spirit world, but it's really about connecting with your own intuitive abilities, which we all have, and to allow yourself to let go of identifying with the small self. And when you dissolve those boundaries, that's when the true magic begins. Because now we're expanding, we're able to now feel other dimensional beings, like my spirit team, or loved ones from the Spirit side of life, or the souls of other humans, or the people that are physically here on the earth plane. So in a psychic sense, we're blending souls together, when you really dive into these practices, and do them on a regular basis, and it's, it's not like you can do it once. And that's it, it's something that you really need to commit to, and if you feel drawn to the practices of mediumship, yoga, meditation, trance, mediumship, healing all of these things, we're really transcending this small physical self, to really draw upon the power that exists in our larger state of being, the larger self. And so when we do that, spirit then shows us the way.  And it could be in a very mundane way that they actually give us the signs and the directions. And so going back to your question, how did I find the Swampscott Church of Spiritualism, and I used to go to the Swampscott library, and that one of the first things that I did, when I moved to the United States was joined the library, because I'm a voracious reader. And I just love to study and I always say that I'm like a lifelong student. So I joined the library, and I would go there and take out books and videos and you know, DVDs and things like that. And next door to it was the Swampscott Church of Spiritualism. But I always say to my friends, that it's almost like I didn't see the church. So it's, it's like platform nine and three quarters in Harry Potter, where you, you can't see it unless you know it's there, or unless somebody's led you there. And so I used to receive these phone calls, and I just moved to the United States. And it was from this dating agency. So in those days, it was like a physical office. And I didn't know anybody in the States, nobody at all when I moved there. And so I kept getting these kind of like telemarketing calls from this dating agency. And I used to say, no, thank you, no, thank you. Then eventually, I was like, you know what, I'm here. I'm single. I don't know anyone. Let me just join this thing. And see what happens. It's a good way of making friends. So anyway, I joined the dating agency. And the first guy that I went on a date with and we did date for a bit, was a member of the Swampscott Church of Spiritualism. And on our first date, he said to me, why don't we go to my church garden because it's a really beautiful garden. And I was like, okay, and so it was literally spirit had, found this way to bring me to the church and then subsequently I joined, and I really found a welcoming, beautiful, non-judgmental community and where I could really start to develop my way of doing spirituality and of being spiritual. And so, so that was the story of how spirit led me. But I really believe that if we pay attention, we become more attuned with our own intuitive senses, that then we can become more aware of the signs that spirit brings us. And like I said, it can be the most mundane thing. But when you reflect back on it, it's actually just a beautiful part of the mystery of spirit, and how they lead us along the journey of our unfoldment, which is this life

Ann  

is so beautiful, what a wonderful story to be led there by that extraordinary set of circumstances. 

Gurdeep  

Yeah.

Ann  

I think that's really beautiful. And one of the things you said just then, was developing your way of doing your spirituality. And that's really hit a chord with me, because I think, as human beings, we're always trying to do what other people say we should do, please everybody else. And somehow, I think we need to give ourselves permission to see how our particular spiritual path is unfolding for us, because you betcha it's going to be very different to anybody else's.

Gurdeep  

Absolutely correct. And, you know, I like to think about it this way, that in my understanding of consciousness, which I'm very much interested in, in my understanding of consciousness, I really believe in non-dual traditions and non-dual philosophy, which basically means that everything within existence is one. So there is only one consciousness, and everything that happens is unfolding within that one consciousness, that one being if you like, and I also like to say that as individuals, so when we come into this form into this physical form, we are actually the dream of the infinite to experience itself, in this unique form of our being. So you can have the dream of the infinite consciousness, wanting to experience itself as Ann Theato. And that's the same for everyone. And, and when you think about it that way, it's really beautiful. And it also shows us the multitudinous expressions of consciousness. So if you think about there being roughly 7 billion people on the planet today, each one of those beings, each one of those humans, even identical twins, who are slightly different from each other, were each of us unique expressions of that one infinite being, wanting to express itself as those individual unique forms. And it's all about the uniqueness. So that's, that's where I want to touch upon, because we're also conditioned to kind of like, follow somebody's lead. But in actual fact, I feel that the Infinite Spirit wants to express itself in numerous ways in multitudinous ways, in new ways, in different ways. And so I think that we're doing more justice to ourselves if we can allow ourselves to be completely open, and to surrender to the way that the Infinite Spirit wants to express itself through us. And that applies to all the various aspects of our life, including our mediumship. And that's the beauty of it. And we don't even know right now, how many other ways spirit can express itself through us. And so I think spirituality is this beautiful personal expression of the divine, ultimately, and so we should allow ourselves to surrender. to that and to to appreciate and acknowledge and to love. The way that spirit expresses itself through us and as us.

Ann  

That is beautiful. I love listening to you talk Gurdeep, it's just gorgeous. I'm so in the moment. Let's go forward then to your trance healing and your trance mediumship and how that's developed for you along these lines.

Gurdeep  

Yeah, thank you Ann and so, so after taking Tony's class, I came back and continued with my yoga teacher training. And it was very interesting because I, you know, spirit is always giving us messages. And I feel like they're little downloads, as well. So like, during my yoga teacher training, I realised that I wanted to give up my corporate job, and to pursue a holistic practice, which included mediumship, and yoga, teaching, teaching, meditation and healing. And that was a little download that I received during my yoga teacher training. And I think it's because of the deepening of the practices, and the, the deepening of the connection with my soul, how we say it in Sanskrit, one of the ways is Athmar. And so the soul.  So I had this download that I wanted to leave my corporate job and start a holistic practice. And I also had this download after coming back from Tony's class in New Jersey, I said to my friend, Bill, I said, Bill, I think there's this thing and it's called, I think it's something like, trance yoga, and, and I even spoke to one of my yoga teachers about it. And I didn't really understand exactly what it looked like or what it would be. But then I continued with my mediumship development, and started a mentorship programme with Tony. And it was during that time, that I began practicing trance mediumship on a more regular basis. So in order to become a practicing trance medium, you first of all, you have to have absolutely the right intention and the right foundation. And it's really a big commitment to spirit. And it's a really big commitment to yourself as well in terms of time in terms of dedication, in terms of devotion to practice. But I just felt so pulled to it. And I just felt this strong connection with the practice of trance mediumship. So, when you're developing as a trance medium, you you basically sit for many, many hours, learning how to move into deep altered states of consciousness, to be able to blend on a closer level with spirit. And yeah, going back to what I was saying about dissolving the boundaries of the small self, and moving into this more expansive space of greater consciousness, I feel that that's what we're doing when we sit for trance. And when we move into these altered states of consciousness, we're really letting go of identifying with this small self, and becoming blended with spirit in such a way that we have the experience of being spirit and of being that expansive consciousness. And so I sat for many hours in trance, sitting for trance. And we had like a mini group, which actually is still set every Monday with my mini group from that particular mentorship programme where we sit for trance, because we're really devoted to working with and for Spirit, and to making a difference in our world through the various practices we do, such as trance mediumship. So I just kept sitting and sitting. And as I was sitting on a regular basis, started to notice that shaking movement that I was talking about, developed into more than just my right arm shaking and vibrating. And I would feel this energy moving through the whole of my body. And then all of a sudden, I started to experience my arms lifting up. And of course, if you know anything about trance mediumship oftentimes the trance medium is blending with one particular spirit form or personality. And the spirit form is coming in so close that they become more prominent in our physical expression. And so my arms started to move and over time, I became really fascinated because I felt that there were specific patterns that were happening. And, and I love to study so I was like, I wonder if these are like an ancient language or and I started to sort of like, note down what these patterns were, because they seem to be repeating, and they seem to be specific patterns. And I couldn't make sense of it. And I looked up all of these ancient languages trying to figure out what was happening. And then eventually, it moved into actual Mudras, which are yogic hand gestures. And they're different shapes that you make with your hands. And there's a complete science behind Mudras, by the way, which I subsequently went on to study. But first of all, I started to make some mudras. And I was very curious about this. And then one day, I asked the question internally, you know, I was doing a healing for somebody, and I asked the question internally, who are you, and my hand and my arm raised up, and my finger pointed to a picture that I have on my wall in my office of the Goddess Lakshmi, who is a Hindu goddess. And she is the goddess of prosperity and beauty and auspiciousness, just to name a few of her aspects. And I already had a practice of devotion towards the Goddess Lakshmi. But she pointed specifically at that picture, and I had pictures of other goddesses, but it was that goddess that that was my finger was pointing at, and that I was like, what is it? How can this be, I still didn't understand it. And then the mudras started happening more frequently. And one day, somebody said to me, oh, this is Garuda mudra. And I didn't know what that was. And so I kind of researched it and looked it up. Now, just to go back a little bit. My eldest sister, is also a healer, and yoga practitioner, and she'd been practicing Mudras for a long time. So I had like a cursory knowledge of Mudras, but not a very detailed knowledge of mudras. But then the Mudras kept happening more and more. And as I started to work with people doing Reiki healing, I would feel the Spirit coming in and taking over and doing these various mudras, with the clients that I was working with. And I started to see or know, maybe it's more of a knowing and a claircognisance kind of way, that the mudras were being used in a specific way, in connection with the chakras. And if you don't know what chakras are, they are kind of like these vortices of energy that are along our central channel, which lines up with the spine. And they're kind of important intersections of energy within our subtle body, so the layer of the subtle body. And I would kind of know that they were working with specific chakras with the client. And they started to do specific mudras. And I felt the energy moving in the client. And then I would receive almost like a download of information in a claircognisant way, sort of explaining what was going on with that particular client, whether it was an emotional healing that needed to take place, or whether there was some ancestral trauma that needed to be moved and shifted and acknowledged and integrated and released, or whether there was a physical ailment going on with that person. And so I started to make this connection, and then started to study withdrawal science a bit more. And then it kind of evolved even further from that. And what I think and is that our mediumship, or our expression of the infinite, through mediumship, and through healing, and through other modalities as well. So in our creative expression, through art, through poetry, through writing, all of these things, is always evolving. And so this kind of goes back to the part about letting and allowing our individual expression of our spiritual journey to just be what it is, rather than trying to fit into a specific box. Because I would never have imagined in a million years, how my particular experience of spirituality and spiritual practices unfolded. I just really would never have imagined experiencing the things that I do today, and how the spirit and what I call Shakti, which is translated as the dynamic, creative force of all being, aka spirit, in its imminent form, in our physical world, expresses itself in so many ways. And so you have to allow yourself to surrender to that expression.

Ann  

Just so amazing. And it's so interesting how you're, like you say, I didn't set out to go down this path and think I was going to end up there. But I have done and what else is to come? It's very exciting, isn't it? Talk to us a little bit, then Gurdeep about when we're working with spirit in this way, I know that you've spoken there so beautifully about surrendering to spirit and just allowing the feeling of expansion of the soul to blend with the spirit world. And I know that many people listening may have a fear around that. So I think perhaps we could talk a little bit about that.

Gurdeep  

Yeah, absolutely. And that's a really good point. And, you know, I like to say to my students of mediumship, and of trance mediumship, as well that we really learn need to learn the, there's a few foundational things that we really need to learn. The first thing is, we need to have a right intention for our work. And that needs to be something that's really grounded within us. And it has to be there as the foundation. So what is the right intention? So the right intention is something like understanding and knowing what our ethical framework is, and knowing that when we do any of this kind of work that we are serving, we're serving spirit, or Shakti or the infinite awareness, we are serving humanity. And so to come from that place of service, I feel is really important for our work to have that right intention, and then to understand that what we're doing is a spiritual practice. It's not for entertainment, although it can be entertaining sometimes, as we know, but it is a spiritual practice. And that when we move into any form of mediumship, we are moving into that space of the Infinite Being or the Infinite Spirit. And so to give it that reverence, so that's the starting point. And then to learn, to trust, to learn to trust yourself. And I feel that trusting yourself, becomes easier when we understand the true nature of our being. So when we understand that we are an eternal soul, and that we are, in actual fact, an expression, the dream of the infinite coming into form, when we understand that, and when we can feel that through our practice, we can trust ourselves more. And then we can also trust spirit as well. And trust that we are not going to lose our, you know, small identified self as Gurdeep or Ann, that we are able to, through our practice, learn to flow between, seamlessly, through these various states of consciousness, and really be living in this way that expresses the fact that we are a multi-dimensional being. And so you have to learn to trust yourself and spirit. Now it's important that you feel that you're in a safe space to do that. So it's important to have the right teacher, that is someone who is holding space and who also has the right intention. And then you learn how to trust yourself how to trust spirit, and then you learn how to surrender. And it's a process that happens over time. And it's not something that happens in one day. But the more you experience, the sense of your own soul, and the sense of expansiveness of being with the infinite, then it follows that you can now start to move seamlessly between these altered states of consciousness, and it becomes something that's very natural, you know, so it's like, learning a language at first it's, it's a bit clunky and you know, you're, you don't quite know how to form a sentence and maybe you say one or two words, here and there. And then eventually over time through practice, through doing, you learn how to say these beautiful flowing sentences and then perhaps one day, you might even start to think in that new language. So it's very similar I feel, how we learn to sort of surrender how we learn to trust and how we learn to be, to be this whole being that's able to seamlessly flow between these altered states of consciousness, knowing that we're always able to come back to our small self, and make a cup of tea, and pay the bills and do what we have to do in our every day, physical lives.

Ann  

And it's a great, great answer. I love that when we become our whole being, I think that's wonderful. Go to the when you feel the spirit world come close, when you sit in the power of your own soul, and you begin to become aware of spirit. How does that feel? What does it feel quite a lot of people ask me that question. And I just wondered for you how it feels. For me, it's changed over the years. But I'm just wondering how that manifests for you and how it feels when spirit come very close to you.

Gurdeep  

Yeah, thank you. And so when spirit starts to come close to me, I really feel it in an actual physical way, in my physical body. And more than anything, I feel it as a physical vibration, and pulsation in my physical body. And so for me, it's beyond a shadow of a doubt that I'm actually connecting, because I feel their presence in that very tangible, physical way. But I have to say that not everyone, because everyone is so unique. And everyone has a unique medium. Everyone has a unique practitioner, everyone's going to have their own way of feeling. And so again, I think it's really a question of practicing and learning to understand yourself. And I always talk about the body as being our tool. So we're learning how our specific tool works. So mine is feeling spirit. First of all, as there's very physical pulsation and vibration in my physical body. It still manifests as a outwardly vibration of the right arm and hand mostly, but I also feel the various personalities of what I call my spirit team, which feels to me like the various deities in the Hindu pantheon. And I feel these different expressions of personality that come in. And then as I receive information, either from spirit loved ones, or from spirit guides, it comes through in various ways. But it's more of a blending together of all of the subtle senses. So I'm not an objective clairvoyant, but I do see imagery in my mind's eye. And then that blends together with feelings and sensations in my actual physical body. And I also experience subjective, clairaudience, and very much so, it all blending together as claircognisance, as a knowing. And that's again, where that trust and surrendering comes in. Because it doesn't really matter how you experience spirit or how you receive the knowledge and the information that they're giving you. But what matters is that you trust it, and that you allow yourself to be this person. And this larger, multi-dimensional being that is doing the work of spirit, and bringing through whatever needs to be brought through, whether it's healing, whether it's a message from a spirit loved one, whether it's a past life experience, or whether it's psychic information, and, and I really learned more about the mechanics of all of that, when I studied yoga in greater depth. So it was really fascinating.

Ann  

Amazing, absolutely amazing. And so Gurdeep moving forward, then, with your work, where is it taking you next? What are you offering on your website? Because I know that you're teaching so many beautiful things, perhaps say a little bit about what you have on offer?

Gurdeep  

Yes, absolutely. And I'm really excited to be offering so many things which are really this intersection of the the ancient yogic practices and philosophy and modern mediumship. So I'm offering something which actually came to me as a download from spirit, in terms of like, how the programme is laid out, and structured.  That was like a download from spirit. And then of course, this intersection of those two things that I mentioned. That was also a download from spiritual Shakti. So I'm offering as well as teaching physical yoga classes in my local area, and doing healing and personal one to one appointments in my physical office and online, I'm teaching this programme, and I'm calling it The Goddess Shakti Pathway, which is a yogic journey to mediumship. And within that, there's this complete pathway. And it includes several individual 90-minute courses that you can take as part of the longer pathway or individually if you have individual interest in the subject. And each of these individual classes is touching upon something that is within the ancient teachings of yoga, but which will be really beneficial and useful to modern mediumship, healing and creative practitioners. So teaching them different techniques, yogic techniques, a lot of them are based on yoga, tantra, and I'm also teaching them about the mechanics of mediumship. And looking at consciousness itself. So it allows people to have a very whole understanding of consciousness and of yogic practices that enable us, within ourselves to experience this expanded state of consciousness in order to do healing and mediumship. And there are various ways in which we can connect with spirit or Shakti. And so, all of the multitudinous forms within which we can connect, kind of included in my programme, so for example, there is a physical practice and I call it Shakti Mudra Flow. And it's Asana and Asana means physical yoga postures, and the physical yoga practice of moving the body into specific shapes. And the Asana Shakti Mudra Flow came about when I started to feel spirit coming in and almost taking over when I was doing my own personal Asana or physical yoga practice on my mat. They started doing these mudras, and I realised that there was a specific pattern that was helping to rebalance my own subtle body, my energy body through the physical asana practice. And so I've noted it down and created sequences so that other people can also do those sequences and that particular practice.  Then another one of the courses that I'm offering is on Yantra. And what is Yantra? Yantra is sacred geometric form. And it's specific to the yogic traditions. And the one that we specifically look at in my course, is the Sri Yantra. The Sri Yantra is a sacred geometric diagram that people have been using for 1000s of years for meditation practice, to enable them to understand how consciousness brings all of the various universes into form. And it's also a way of understanding how we can heal our own physical body and the different layers of our own being. Because this sacred geometric shape represents everything in existence, but it also superimposes onto our body. And I learned this through trance mediumship with the spirits showing me the various shapes of the triangles, creating these mudras, lining them up along my own body and along the chakras, showing me the relationship between the subtle body and the mudras and the chakras and the one-consciousness and the small self. So we really explore that. And in my classes as well, there's always practical elements that you do some practices, so that you can really begin to feel all of those connections within your own body. And one of the exciting things that I like to teach is this non-dual philosophy, which allows us to not reject our own physical body. Because a lot of spiritual practices and meditation practices are about transcending the body, and a lot of spiritual traditions think of the body as less than the soul, and the infinite, eternal part of ourselves. But in the non-dual tradition, everything in existence is the infinite. So even this physical body is this dream of the infinite expressing itself. And of course, the physical body is truly not solid, and physics and modern science tells us that.  It tells us that we are actually just these particles, and they're really just a vibration, we're just really a vibration. And so this non-dual philosophy runs through all of my work. And then I show people that connection between modern mediumship practices, and the yoga and yogic wisdom that has been there for the taking, and for us to have access to for 1000s of years.

Ann  

I love the cross-section, the intersection between the ancient and the modern, and the ever evolving ways that spirit are working with you, Gurdeep, it, is so exciting. What is your website for people to go and take a look?

Gurdeep  

So the best way to actually stay in touch with me and to receive all of the latest information about my classes, and all of my offerings, as well as receiving newsletters from me is to sign up for my newsletter. Okay. And you can do that on my website. And my website is www.parinamahealing.com.  So sign up for my newsletter, and you'll be able to then find out about The Goddess Shakti Pathway, all of the classes I'm offering and you'll also be able to receive a free luxury meditation, a guided meditation that I offer when you sign up for my newsletter. So that's the best way to kind of reach me and stay in touch with me

Ann  

That is such a great idea. Brilliant, and so people can find you the website link will also be in the show notes for this programme. So if anybody wants to pick that up, they can go to my website and pick up all the links to Gurdeep as well. But you're also offering mediumship readings are you Gurdeep?  Trance mediumship readings? What are you offering there? 

Gurdeep  

Yeah, so I have a physical office for my holistic practice, which is based in Marblehead, Massachusetts, and all of the details of that are also on my website, and on my teaching platform as well. So you can visit me in person, and you can book an appointment through my website, and I offer one to one intuitive mediumship readings, I offer trance healing, and Reiki and also private yoga, if you wanted to dive a bit deeper into your own personal yoga practice. I also offer online sessions as well. Because when we think about how we transcend time space, that's really how we're able to work with people online. And it doesn't really matter where in the world you are. And I have clients from many different countries and different states. And then my teaching programme at the moment as well, The Goddess Shakti Pathway is all via Zoom, so it's all online. So it doesn't really matter where you are in the world. You really have a lot of options to connect with me, my classes, as well as one to one appointments as well.

Ann  

It's so exciting. You're offering so many interesting things. Oh my goodness, it's brilliant.  Tell me one thing before you finish Gurdeep, you have got, despite living in Massachusetts, you have got a very English accent. How come you never lost it and what took you back in the first place?

Gurdeep  

Yeah. Thank you for that. And you know a lot of people are really surprised when they sort of hear me because they don't really understand that link either. But I was actually raised in London in the suburbs of West London. And I moved to the United States in 2003. So now I've been in the United States for 19 years. And what took me there was my corporate job. So this is another way in which Spirit works, because I went to the United States for an account management job with British Airways, I used to work for British Airways. And so you know, my accent, like British accent was really helpful in my old role as well as an ambassador for the British airline. And once I heard, kind of like founders, so I'm Scott Church of spiritualism, which I'm still a member of, and I'm actually on the pastoral team. And I do serve the church as well. But you know that that connection with the Swampscott Church of spiritualism led me along this path to just stay in the United States. And I really love where I live. I live in a really beautiful little seaside town called Marblehead. And it has a harbour and I can take morning walks to the ocean.  It is a very beautiful space to live in. So that's, that's what took me there. And then I guess I'm just one of these people who doesn't lose their accent. Yeah. And so I'm really happy that people connect with my voice,

Ann  

Yeah, it's so interesting, isn't it, yeah, it's beautiful. Absolutely beautiful, you've got a beautiful accent. Gurdeep, it's been fascinating talking to you about your work, and also your beautiful, strong connection to the spirit world. It is really touched my heart and it's been so enlightening for me and I'm sure for all of the listeners. I just want to say thank you so much for coming on the show and sharing your beautiful experiences with us.

Gurdeep  

It's my absolute pleasure and it's been so lovely to connect with you today. And I really appreciate you having me on the show.

Ann

Gurdeep Bhogal there everybody, wasn’t that just amazing?  Don’t you just want to go and learn from her straight away?!   Gurdeep’s website once again is www.parinamahealing and don’t forget while you’re there having a look around, sign up for Gurdeep’s newsletter, because by signing up, you will be the first to know about all of her new courses and classes when they’re released. I highly recommend you do that so that you can be first on the list for those.

A reminder of course, that all resources for this episode, including a full transcript and importantly, how to reach Gurdeep, are over on my website under the podcast tab, so do head over there and you can pick everything up on the show notes for this episode at www.anntheato.com. 

Don’t forget I’m still miserable with my broken leg, so to cheer me up perhaps you would consider typing a written review for me on Apple Podcasts or Podchaser, as you know, that really does help the podcast move up the podcast charts and if you have already written one please do write a second one, that would be very much appreciated.

That brings us to the end of this week’s podcast.  Remember Gurdeep’s advice that by doing this spiritual work, by following a spiritual pathway we are serving humanity.  Maybe consider how you are doing that this week.  How are you serving?  We can serve in so many ways, even if you just offer a smile to a stranger.  A small kindness goes a long way.  Earlier this week, I tried to get a cup of coffee out of a machine and I couldn’t reach the buttons from my wheelchair, so I sat there scowling and muttering about injustice, and this builder guy was standing next to the machine and he was all scruffy in his plaster covered boots and his dusty trousers, he was standing with all his mates but he jumped to my aid and he pushed all the buttons for me, made sure I got my coffee, made sure I was okay and went back to his friends.  To him it was probably nothing.  But he made that moment so special for me.  I had been travelling through terrible traffic for 3 hours to get to the hospital appointment, I was in pain with my leg, worried about a thousand things, and all he did was press a few buttons for me.  But that kindness, that serving of humanity, not only filled me with hope in that moment, gratitude for a stranger’s kindness, but it stayed with me all week and the next week and now into this podcast – so strong an affect, did that kind gesture have on me, because it was so impactful in that moment when I felt so fragile in the world, and I was so grateful.  

I’m brought to mind of Mother Teresa’s ANYWAY poem

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered;
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God;
It was never between you and them anyway.

My name is Ann Théato and thank you for listening to Psychic Matters.