When I began studying mediumship, one of my teachers often complained that she was kept being woken up by Spirit at 3 a.m.
Honestly, it put me off developing my abilities.
I like my sleep. Being woken up in the middle of the night for Spirit to talk to me did not sound like fun. (This was before I had children and was used to getting a solid night’s sleep). I wasn’t up for that. Spirit could talk to me during my normal awake hours!
It turns out that self-assured attitude put me in good stead for developing healthy boundaries with Spirit.
Before I went to bed, especially after a mediumship class or development circle, I’d tell Spirit, “You need to let me sleep tonight, no waking me up at 3 a.m.”
In the morning, I’d vaguely remember wacky dreams where I felt like I’d been transported somewhere and participated in some kind of school, but I slept through the night.
How to make Spirit stop waking you up at night
Not every developing medium gets the 3 a.m. wakeup call. For some, it’s 1:11, 2:22, 3:33 or 4:44. Or a different time, but often about the same each night, as you wake with a start and look at the clock.
How do you make it stop?
It’s actually pretty easy. You get your own bit of attitude and tell Spirit to stop it.
All Spirit communication (just like all of life) operates through natural law. And, if you choose, you can decide if you’re open to communication from Spirit, or not, and at what times you’d like that to happen.
I have a Do Not Disturb setting on my cell phone from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Unless you’re on my favorites list, your call or text will not get through to me during those hours. You can do the same with Spirit.
Do Not Disturb nighttime techniques
These are all techniques my students have used successfully to develop their mediumship abilities while getting a good night’s sleep.
Get an open/closed sign
If you’re a literally-minded person, get a literal open/closed sign. It can be a sign with both open and closed options, or just closed, and hang it in your bedroom or from your doorknob or on the door. When you want to sleep, put it on Closed. In the morning, take it down or turn it to Open.
One caveat: If you want to develop your mediumship abilities, you should have it on Open (or at least not Closed) some of the time. This works well in conjunction with the next technique.
Make an appointment with Spirit
Due to the wonders of natural law, Spirit really does have to follow your boundaries and intention. Because of this, you can simply state – out loud, in your head, in a journal or on your calendar – when you’re open for communicating with Spirit.
This may be a time that you meet with your development circle or when you regularly sit down to meditate and connect.
It’s best that it’s a regular time –for you, the rhythm of your routines, and for Spirit. If you make a commitment to show up, open and ready to work and unfold, Spirit – including your guides and loved ones – will be there, too.
And then they can quiet down the rest of the time.
Just say “No”
While the “Just Say NO” campaign was pretty useless in terms of getting kids to not use drugs or have sex in the ‘80s and ‘90s, it actually works with Spirit.
Try what I did as a cocky young developing medium: set your intention at night that you won’t be woken up by Spirit. This also works well for remembering dreams (you set your intention that you’ll begin remembering your dreams when you wake up), or for solving problems (ask for the solution to come to you during the night).
Developing your mediumship abilities on your terms
According to the old Spiritualist texts I’ve read, my approach borders on blasphemous. They basically say that Spirit is in charge, can come through whenever it wants, and we’re just here to serve. I’m not good with that.
My approach is one where you get to have a large say in your development. Mediumship is definitely a gift, but it’s not one that needs to take over your life, rendering it unrecognizable. My work as a teacher is to remove the fear and uncertainty around developing your mediumship gifts and help you take steps forward that feel good, uplifting and comfortable.
That starts with getting a good night’s sleep.