Spiritualists use the term “death” to define what happens when the soul and body separate. Like many other people and religions, we believe that the soul survives this process. What sets us apart is our belief, based on continual proven demonstrations, that it’s possible to communicate with the souls who have transitioned out of the body.

If you want to learn more about spirit communications, please read through this list of questions that we commonly receive (and the answers we give). Afterwards, if you have more questions or need clarification on something, please call the church at (513) 891 – 5424 or send an email to info@uscl.org.  We’ll happily do what we can to help you.

“Is a message the same as a reading?”

They both refer to communications received by mediums from those in the world of spirit, but there is a slight difference between the two. Messages are delivered in public settings, contain a simple greeting / one topic and are of a short duration; typically no more than a couple of minutes. Readings take place in a private or semi-private setting, may cover a variety of topics and are much longer in length; anywhere from five minutes to an hour.

“What’s a medium?”

A medium is someone who’s able to connect with the world of spirit and who allows the intelligent beings from there to communicate with/through them. This process is called mediumship. The mediums you’ll see at U.S.C.L. events have completed professional training and have been certified by the department of education and the board of directors. They consider this to be a service to God and humanity.

“Can anyone learn to do this?”

We believe all individuals have latent mediumship abilities. These abilities can be developed and enhanced through training in development circles and classes or under the tutorship of a qualified mentor.

“Why do you give messages at your Sunday services?”

We believe death is just another phase of life and that we don’t need to fear it. We want to share the reason for this belief with you and others, in the hope that it will help you or allow you to help someone else. Our goal is to act as the messengers between you and the loved ones, friends and guides you have in the spirit world (Heaven). We strive to bring you proof that the personality and soul survive the transition called death and continue to live and act as intelligent and loving beings. If they wish to communicate with you, we do our best to convey their message in a way that you can accept and understand.

“What kind of people attend your services?”

People just like you. And those who are nothing like you. Our events are open to everyone and we see a wide representation of the general public, including blue collar and executives, dis-believers, skeptics and devout followers, people who have never experienced the death of a loved one and people who have experienced several. Death is one of the greatest common uniters among us all. It’s natural to be curious and not uncommon to be afraid, apprehensive or nervous about it. People come to the services to find answers and peace. Some come alone while others are encouraged to tag along with a friend or relative. All are welcome.

“What if I’m not sure about all this?”

That’s okay; we encourage you to be skeptical and discerning. At the same time, we ask that you be open and willing to allow loved ones to contact you in this manner. Some messages make sense immediately, while others may not be proved true or understandable until some time has come to pass. The amount of time varies and while we’d love to be able to attach timelines to every message we receive from those in the world of spirit, we can only share with you what they share with us. Mull the message over in your own meditation time or whenever you have a few minutes to yourself; it will usually become clear.

“How do I know if a message is meant for me? How do I respond if a medium wants to talk to me?”

Spirits may indicate who they wish to speak to in a few different ways. They may communicate directly to the medium and let him/her know that they wish to speak to you or they may tell or show the medium something that they know you’ll recognize. If they choose the first way, the medium may look at you or gesture toward you and tell you that they are connected to a spirit who wishes to speak to you. If the spirit chooses the second method, the medium will tell those present a description of the spirit that (hopefully!) someone present will be able to identify.  Some mediums will describe the images they’re seeing or share what they’re feeling, smelling or know. In this instance, if anything the medium says sounds familiar or makes sense to you, please indicate it by raising your hand high and saying out loud, “I can claim that.”, “I understand that.”, “I know someone like that.” or something similar to get the medium’s attention. The vibration of your voice helps strengthen the connection and lets the spirit know that you’re willing to listen to the message.

“When the medium is giving me a message, how much feedback am I supposed to give? What if I don’t want to give any feedback?”

There is no “supposed to”. Mediums receiving messages from spirits have sometimes described it as akin to playing charades or the telephone game. They do their best to relay the messages accurately, but sometimes they can be off a bit. At the same time, it’s not your job to tell them who the message is from or what it is. If the medium does ask a question, it’s typically to help them clarify a detail that either they’re not receiving clearly or that the spirit is having trouble communicating, so that the medium may more accurately pass the intent of the message along to you. Most mediums will say they prefer you tell them very little; no more than a “yes” or “no” response. The less you say, the easier it is to get the meaning from the spirit.

And while we understand there are times when you may not feel like talking or may be hesitant to do so, please remember that all of the mediums are human and sometimes desire feedback. At the very least, on the days you don’t feel like providing a verbal response, please offer the medium a head shake, nod, smile or some other form of acknowledgment.

“What kind of messages do the spirits send? What do they want to say?”

Many of those who come forward to communicate with you want you to know that they’re okay and the pain or problems they faced on Earth are gone or are being worked through. Their messages may speak of the love they feel for you, support they’re offering you, suggestions they may have and apologies they’d like to offer, but those aren’t the only items they address. The topics that come through are as varied as the personalities of the spirits who send them.

“Will the spirits tell you any of my personal secrets?  If they do, do you say them out loud for everyone to hear (including my family members and friends I’ve brought with me)?”

If they do, they do so in a manner that keeps most of the details from the medium and gives him/her just enough to pass along the intent of the message to you. Remember, these spirits care about you. They don’t want to embarrass you or cause you problems. Rest assured that if a spirit does feel the need to communicate a personal issue to the medium so that s/he may better communicate the message to you, the medium will keep that confidence and only share what the spirit has indicated you need to know.

“How do I know this message isn’t from a spirit that’s trying to trick me?”

Each medium has put safeguards in place to prevent lower energies from communicating with/through them. All of the spirits that wish to be recognized come from a place of pure loving energy. Their motivations are of the highest intent and they desire only the best outcome for all involved. If they don’t, they’re not allowed in.

“What do I do with the information I receive in a message? Will the spirits or guides be mad if I don’t take their advice?”

Do with it as you wish. The spirits who communicate with you do so because they care about you. When they entered the world of spirit, they set aside their egos. They will not be mad at you. They recognize your free will to follow or ignore their messages as you see fit. If they think the message you choose to ignore is important and the advice worth following, they may bring it up again at a future message service or during a personal reading.

“All the advice I receive is good, right? I heard that once you get to Heaven you have access to all knowledge and know when everything is going to happen.”

We aren’t the ones to decide how good the information you receive is; only you can decide that. Crossing over to the other side makes one neither smarter nor wiser and it doesn’t allow for access to all of humanity’s timeline. It does change the perspective from which Earth and life events are viewed, so the spirit communicating with you may be able to see situations in a different way than they did when they were here.  Sometimes spirits may suggest that something will happen within a certain time frame, but that can change and is dependent on your actions and other outside forces. Again, only you can decide if the information you receive is worth acting on and when.

“Will I get a message at every service I attend?”

It’s always a blessing to make contact with a guide or loved one who has crossed over. Unfortunately however, there are times when you won’t receive a message. This can happen for a variety of reasons and if it happens to you, you’re encouraged to not take it personally. Please continue to ask your loved ones and guides to join you at the services and let them know you’d like to hear from them; when the time and conditions are right, you will.

“Is there anything I can do to help me receive a message?”

Before coming to the service, take a few moments to connect with your loved ones and guides in Spirit.  To do that, in your mind or out loud, ask them to be present at the service and to send you a message if they feel you need one, or to touch in with you because you’ve been thinking about them. This helps them to know that you’re interested in hearing from them, and when and where to contact you.

Adopt an open-minded, non-judgmental frame of mind.  Expecting the message to come from a specific medium or to discuss a specific topic causes the energy between you and the spirit to become more difficult for them to navigate through. The best attitude is one of anticipation, without expectation.

“Are the Sunday services the only time you give messages?”

No, they’re not. We have one other regular event that provides you with an opportunity to connect with your friends, loved ones and guides in the spirit world. The event is what we call a ‘Reading Party’, which happens the 3rd Sunday of each month.  For $10 you will receive a 15 minute private reading with one of our USCL certified mediums. Additional readings are also only $10 each, if you would like to have a longer session.