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Ann Théato, International Psychic Medium and Spiritual Tutor, investigates psychic development, mediumship techniques, and paranormal science, so that you can come to understand your own innate psychic ability and expand your knowledge, whilst learning to develop a curious mind.

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TRANSCRIPT

Hello everybody! My name is Ann Théato and welcome to the Psychic Matters Podcast – episode number 58!

Thank you to all those who have left me a written review – I am so very grateful as they really do help the podcast move up the podcast charts.  We made it this week to Number 31 in the UK Spirituality charts and that is really, really good!  Just to be in the top 100 is amazing, let alone get to Number 31, thank you so much all of you for listening and supporting.

If you did wish to leave a written review and try to elevate us closer to the Number One slot –  please do that either on Apple Podcasts or go to a website called www.podchaser.com and search Psychic Matters and you can leave a review for me there.  Thank you for taking the time to do that – it is hugely appreciated!

Today we are discussing the Role of the Soul!   Some of you may have heard of the term Soul Appraisal and you may be wondering what exactly is that, what does it entail? Well, a soul appraisal is a type of 1:1 reading, especially suited to anyone committed to understanding themselves more fully. 

I’m joined this week by, Darren Brittain, one of the most sought-after Evidential Mediums and Teachers working today, and he discusses his experiences and understanding of the alignment between human identity and the soul.

Darren explains that as soul beings, we are already existing in the spirit world and when working mediumistically, we have to look at removing our identity, our judgements, our beliefs and our expectations, so that we can identify with the soul, and only then, can what is present become revealed.

I know you are going to love this episode.

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Ann

Evidential Medium, Psychic, Tutor, Author, Darren Brittain joins me in the Psychic Matters studio today. Darren, welcome to Psychic Matters.

Darren

Thank you very much, Ann, it’s lovely to see you and lovely to be here.

Ann 

Ah, we are so thrilled to have you on the show. I can’t tell you how exciting is to have you here. And we know that you’ve had so much experience in the world of mediumship and psychic work, of course, and soul work. And as mediumship evolves, so do we as people. And I was wondering, Darren, where has your work taken you to? At what point are you at now in the work that you’re doing in the world?

Darren 

That’s a great question, actually, because really, when I started mediumship, 30 years ago, I thought that was it forever. That was how it would be that would be you know, the kind of getting up demonstrating doing private readings. And that would be it. And of course, you’re absolutely right that as we evolve, the phenomena of our work evolves as well, and how it becomes expressed in the world changes as we do. So, so currently, I still teach, I still demonstrate evidential mediumship publicly, although I’ve actually stopped doing one-to-one evidential readings now. And for lots of reasons, I’ve noticed over a period of time, that there were people that were coming for readings that really wanted something beyond the evidence of the spirit world, I think that the way that their lives and the world generally has changed is that, that people were looking to understand themselves more, rather than looking outside of themselves for answers to who they are and what their life is really about. So, so my work naturally, I think, has evolved in line with those changes personally and collectively. And so now I really work on something that I call Soul Appraisals, which is really looking at the very many levels of the self, including the ego, the mind, the soul, and the intent that’s held within each of those aspects.

Ann 

And Darren, that’s really interesting about the soul appraisal and the different aspects of it.  For someone who’s listening to this, who perhaps would like to book a soul appraisal, or just maybe not even book one, just learn a little bit more about what they involve, can you get into a little bit more detail. So, if somebody comes to you for a reading for a Soul Appraisal, what might they expect?

Darren 

So really, when I do an appraisal, traditionally, an appraisal is really looking at those elements of the medium that are working with their mediumship, their spiritual awareness. So typically, they are focused only on a specific area. But because I recognise that many people are recognising now that we are a spiritual being having a human experience, and that so, part of the appraisal is really about looking at you holistically, what’s going on within your identity. So I think it was so Deepak Chopra who said, the ego is our self image. It’s not our true self. It’s characterised by labels and masks and images and judgments. And, and so part of the appraisal is looking at those elements, because the identity really is a construct based on all of those things that Deepak recognises. So, part of the appraisal is looking at what’s going on within the top layer of our life, because the identity really is the wrapping of who we are truly.  So part of the appraiser is looking at work, health, family, relationships, how people are feeling about those areas, and really what’s going on, on the, on the surface. But then also looking beneath the surface, you know, what are the emotional things that are underpinning those choices, those experiences. So that’s one level. The other level is that we are a spiritual being, we are a soul that has come into this life to experience to grow, to evolve, to teach to learn. And so the soul also has an intent. So the soul will bring to his bring to it, those aspects that it needs to be able to evolve. And so it moves us towards certain people, certain places, it moves us out of certain situations and closer to certain people as well, that are in alignment with what it desires. So that’s the second element really. And then the third bit is looking at the alignment between the identity and the soul, which areas of life are you living authentically? And really the authenticity is about the alignment between the soul and the identity and which areas are you not? And if not, why not? What are the things that are blocking that or obstacles to achieving that?

Ann 

So that really fascinates me and then as a medium yourself, how do you pick up this information? So there are people in the listenership here for Psychic Matters, some are working mediums, some are training, some are beginning and some are interested in the topic. But I wonder if you could explain a little about how you can feel into somebody and pick up that information from them for them.

Darren 

So it’s really a soul to soul connection. So I identify with the power of my own soul that is expressing its awareness and by identifying that person’s need, you know, my soul responds if you like to their, their soul need, of a soul desire to express.  So it’s really a psychic and intuitive process. I always keep a part of my awareness with the spirit world anyway in case there is a need for them to to interject, to give guidance or advice as well. So the spirit world is by no means separate to this experience. They’re inclusive, but it’s really a soul to soul connection, a psychic or intuitive link.

Ann 

It’s just brilliant and and I’ve been a lucky recipient of one of your Soul Appraisals, and it was just beautiful. And it was so specific as to what my passions are, what I love to do, where I was even thinking of taking, but wasn’t sure where I should take my life going forward, and you really picked up on some very specific things for me, thank you very much for that.

Darren 

No, you’re welcome. And there still has to be even though it’s not evidential mediumship, there always has to be an evidential quality to our work, as psychics as intuitives, as mediums and as healers to a degree. So, there shouldn’t be an absence of evidence, you know, it’s just that the evidence is different compared to evidential mediumship.

Ann 

Yeah. And I also talking, you talk there about the spirit world being involved and how you keep your awareness with the spirit world very much as well, during the soul appraisals, and I was watching you demonstrate mediumship. And what I really took away from that, by watching you work, was how strongly you were connected to spirit, where these spirit communicators became so very present within you, that you were able to just give this most extraordinary information, names, dates, places, people’s occupations, things like this, that were very, very evidential for the recipient. And I was just blown away by the way that the spirit world and you merge together. And also, maybe for people listening, who are mediums who do work, and want to become more progressive and better and give more evidence, how can we bring spirit that close to us?

Darren 

Well, I think that’s that’s a very interesting question. Because I think, and the language you have used there in how can we bring them close, there is no separation. That’s the truth of it, we are already as spiritual beings, as souls, we’re already existing in the spirit world, we’re already there. So there really is no space between us, other than the way that the mind constructs that division. So really, to to be the best medium we can be, we really have to look at removing our identity, we have to be willing to lose ourselves, to lose all those things that Deepak spoke about, you know, the labels, the mass, the images, the judgments, the beliefs, the expectations, we have to give that up for that period of time that we work with the spirit world, and that we have to learn to identify with the soul that we are, without the mind, without the judgments, without that identity. And then what’s already present becomes revealed. So, they’re really, in my mediumistic state, they’re really, on a good day. On a bad day, it’s not always as clear. But on a good day, there is no separation between me and the other world that my mind doesn’t interfere, sabotage, create different stories, it really is just, I’m there, they’re here, there’s no space between us. And that’s when mediumship I think of any description, can be at its most phenomenal, when we the medium become separate to it, rather than involved in it.

Ann 

Do you think that we, rather than seeing a separation between us and the spirit world, we ought to see a separation between us and the physical world?

Darren 

Yes. Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. Because really what we’re doing when we do that attunement process, we’re actually bringing to our awareness what’s already present, you know, it’s already there, the spirit world are already here right now. But really, what separates us is the mind and the beliefs that we hold about that separation. So, you know, it’s a little bit like, you know, when we sit in a room, we were filled in this room right now, with TV waves, and radio waves, and text messages, and WhatsApp and all this technology, and all these things are buzzing around. But they only start to become evident to us, when we have a receiver that’s on its wavelength. All that the medium does is alters their wavelength to be in harmony with the world that’s already present. And then we start to access the information that’s available, but for the most part is outside of our awareness. So really, it’s no different. We, when we can identify with the truth of who we spiritually are, then we’re already in the spirit world. And that, therefore, makes everything available.

Ann 

And you have done this for many, many years. And you must have, like all the rest of us listening, who are working as mediums, have developed to this point that you’re at now and hopefully will continue to develop and progress yourself, but I know myself, I watched or used to watch people like you when I was beginning to develop my mediumship. And I used to think, oh, gosh, I’ll never get there. I’ll never… How on earth does that happen? You have to be born that way. You have to have this immediately from a child to be that good immediately, but I don’t believe that’s true. And yet there is a period of progression. So how did your mediumship begin to build?

Darren 

So, I was very, I say, very fortunate because I walked into a spiritualist church at 17, thinking they were a bunch of crazy people, I would go once and never again. And then by the end of the evening, I was receiving information from the spirit world. And there was an evidential quality to it, which really got me hooked. And so I went every week, but I was blessed in as much as I didn’t have the influence of attending lots of workshops or seeing huge amounts of mediums or going to lectures or seminars, because of where I lived, you know, I was in the middle of a very small mining community that was miles from anywhere, where these events would have gone on. And so, I just sat with the spirit world, I didn’t have anything in my, kind of knowledge base, to conflict, what the Spirit World told me, so I trusted it.  There was no, again, there was no separation, there was no involvement of my mind. So that doesn’t mean to say that I accepted easily everything that I was taught, or everything the spirit world gave to me, because I was always a very curious child and a curious person and still am. But I always have to have something to back up, you know, there’s got to be an evidential quality, even now to to everything, you know, let’s look at why does that make sense? What else might that be? So, I always had that part of me, which was really helpful for me to reach higher to reach for more, not just to become accepting of what I might have classed as being average, mediocre or explained away by other phenomena. So, so I think that was the thing that motivated me to reach for more evidence. Because I remember very clearly thinking in a circle, well if the spirit people can give me their first name, why can’t they give me their last name? You know, if that’s available? If that person is talking to me, why are we settling for just the small amount of information? If this loved one wants to prove that they’re absolutely here, then what’s stopping them? And the truth is nothing. What stops us is the mediumship. You know, what stops us is the mind of the medium that believes that that’s not available, or I can’t do it, or like you said, I’m never going to get there, you know. So, I think that we have the potential to really limit how the soul and the expression of it starts to grow. And so I think very early on for me, I was very clear that there’s always more are available, and I wanted to be in alignment with that.

Ann

Yeah, that’s really interesting. We do limit our own potential, I think. And going back as a child, you’ve written a brilliant book called From Innocence To Inner Sense. And in that book, Darren, you speak about your experiences as as a child seeing lights around people. And I know that went with some migraines that you were experiencing. So how old were you when you were seeing those lights around people?

Darren 

It presented around about 14, actually, which I think is a very common time for migraines to actually present as well, I think there’s, there’s on an energetic level, certainly migraines very much present, usually when there’s an emotional conflict. And at that time at 14, many of us are in emotional conflict. So, I think it presents at that time for many people. But the lights that I was seeing were present when I didn’t have headaches, and they were not just the random lights that I used to experience with migraine, they would be actually around person as a form, you know. So, I would sit in class and look at the movement of these lights and this energy around my fellow students. Yeah. So that’s really when my awareness of something non-physical started to present but it was three years later when I went to the spiritualist church to explore it further.

Ann 

And when you saw those lights, did you tell your parents or did you tell anybody you were seeing them and see if they could help you?

Darren 

Yeah, I spoke to my friend Martin at school, and I remember sitting sitting with him and putting my hand in front, on top of my leg and I said, can you not see the light around the hand, around the fingers? And he said, No. And I said, let me look at yours. And I could see it. And I actually drew on a piece of paper around his fingers, where I saw the light. And of course, he couldn’t see it. And I think that was a great sense of the reality that something was going on here. That was not migraine. And then I spoke to my mum. And as any good mum would do – let’s go and get your eyes tested. Let’s go and get this checked out. And you know, kind of optically everything was fine. So, it didn’t ease the curiosity about what this was, if anything it furthered it.

Ann 

And so then when you went to your first spiritualist church, were they able to explain what those lights were to you?

Darren 

Yeah, so I spoke to a lady when I went in and you know, she was, I, she has since became a very good friend. And you know, she was a beautiful medium, and a lovely, lovely person. And but at the time that I met her, first of all, I thought she was crazy, completely off her face, you know, completely mental. But I did tell her about the lights. And she explained that I had been seeing lights around people and she said, you know, this is an aura, you’re seeing the energy of a person. So she, really in that communication, that very first message that I received, she was able to explain to me that that’s what it was. And it gave a reality to it then that I could I could grasp onto a name and research it from that point.

Ann 

That’s great. And then, so in that church, did you then join a development circle and progress onwards from there or what was your progression after that?

Darren

So, I’d been there for about three or four months and then one of the older ladies In the church ran a home circle and asked me if I would want to come and sit. And so I sat with my friend Frieda, my good friend Frieda, and a lady called, Ann Hunsley, who was in a local area. And so we just sat in a home circle that she ran. And it was just a very beautiful experience. Again, I had nothing to compare it to, I had no outside influence, to tell me what I should be doing or shouldn’t be doing. We just sat to allow the Spirit World to blend with us, and to express what we got. So it was a very, very formative time in my, I think trusting of the spirit world, because there was no techniques involved. I didn’t have to do anything, I didn’t have to prove anything, it was just about sitting and allowing them to blend with us, and teaching the mind, as always, now to move out the way. So that was really when my first development circle kind of began.

Ann

And that sounds like a really positive experience. For us. It sounds gentle, and very caring and nurturing that circle.

Darren

It was, it was, and I remember being sat there on my 18th birthday, and everybody was absolutely shocked. Why are you not outside getting drunk? Why are you not in the pub? But again, in that moment, that’s what I wanted to do. That was what my soul, I guess was, it had woken up, it was being heard, and it wanted to, you know, express itself. So there was no desire to do anything else other than to explore this new aspect of my world.

Ann

So what took you to the platform, then? How did you get onto the platform and be brave enough to do that did that take very long?

Darren

It was within a year. And interestingly, Phyllis, the lady who gave me the very first communication, she said to me as part of their communication, you will do this work and within a year, you’ll be on platform. And I laughed, because I just thought that was a crazy thing for anybody to say. And especially what I’d learned from people is that they were all saying, you have to do this for years before you take that step, you know, that this doesn’t happen quickly. You have to be patient, don’t run before you can walk. And so I was kind of prepared for it to not happen, first of all, at all. And then when there were signs that it was happening, it would be a little while before I could take that step. And I’m sure many of your listeners will know many mediums when they first start to do their public work, they’re often thrust into it, you know, it’s not always a willing choice to take that that place. And I’d gone with my friend Freda to a separate spiritualist church. And that church was a very broken down, rundown dark, little hut, in the middle of nowhere, but it had such an amazing feeling in it. And so we went on a Sunday afternoon. And I just sat there with an absolute feeling that I wanted to demonstrate that I wanted to work, just the weirdest feeling just a sense that I wanted to express this mediumship. And I just happened to say to Freda, just absent-mindedly, not knowing who the mediums were. And it turns out that they were good friends of Freda, that were taking the service. And so she slipped away and had a very gentle word with them and said, would you mind if my friend Darren just kind of came up and gave a couple of messages? And that was it. So, I then got invited onto the platform, with really shaky knees, and a sick bucket just in case. And it went really well. I don’t remember much about it. I remember pointing to a lady at the back of the room and talking about a mother and some item of jewellery that she kept. But other than that, it’s a blur even now.

Ann

And it’s interesting you say that because as mediums we don’t often remember what we’ve just given to somebody, can you maybe explain to people listening, why that would be?

Darren 

Sure. So when we identify with the power of the soul, when we identify with our mediumship, to that degree that the conscious mind moves out, then what happens is in the mediumistic state, we become a vehicle, we become typically the medium, you know, the conduit for that information, that is not being affected by or influenced by the conscious mind. The mind just sits on a shelf and observes the mediumistic experience, best case scenario. So, when we’re in that mediumistic state where we’re not thinking, we’re just allowing and surrendering, that information comes through the mind is of no value in that experience. So in that mediumistic states, the subconscious parts of the mind are more present and more at the surface. So often when we give mediumship, we’re very present and very conscious when we’re in it. But as we become disidentified from the soul and our mediumistic state and the conscious mind starts to become more present, because the mind was the observer and not the originator of the experience, it’s often very common that we don’t consciously remember what we’re given, unless somebody starts to trigger that memory from our subconscious, by reminding us what we’ve said. So it’s very common, and actually, it’s one of the way that the mind behaves in the mediumistic state is actually very suggestive of how closely connected we are to the spirit.  That is a really good explanation, thank you. Darren, that’s brilliant. Thank you.

Ann 

And what do you think as mediums, we expect from our recipient, because we’re often, we know what the recipients expect from us – they want lovely evidence from their loved ones, but what are we as mediums expecting from our recipients?

Darren

You know, I have this running joke with my students and I say I don’t trust recipients. They’re a slippery customers. They’re slippery fish you know. And I mean that in the most respectful way, because, you know, I am a recipient at times as well. And I like many of us, you know, my mind goes blank, I can’t recall everything, you know, I’m not always the easiest of recipients in that respect. But I think that as a medium, my expectation of the recipient, is that they are first of all going to be honest with me, you know, they’re going to be honest in what I’m offering and what and they’re offering to me as well. You know, there have been times when recipients come and I understand their guardedness, I understand that they want to ensure that what you’re getting is from the spirit world that they’re not, you know, you’re not gleaning information from them. So, I understand defensiveness, I understand guardedness, I understand how grief can can make that happen for people. But I expect for them to be honest, I expect them to engage in this dialogue in this reunion in this communication, you know, as if they would, if that person were physically in the room, you know, be excited about being there be excited and hopeful about what might come from that experience. So that’s what I would expect from them.

Ann 

And in terms of whether they say yes, no, maybe or give you a whole long explanation, what are we expecting, in that term?

Darren 

Yeah, I mean, that’s an interesting one. And interesting, since working on Zoom, it seems that because, people seem much more chatty, recipients seem much more chatty and want their responses.  They want, they feel the need to explain to you what you’re getting and why you’re getting it. And for me as a medium, that is not helpful at all, because it engages my mind again, you know, I’ve worked really hard to get my mind to get on the shelf and sit there and observe. But when the recipient starts to enter a dialogue with the medium, there’s a potential that the mind of the medium starts to become more engaged, and therefore we disconnect from our awareness. So from my perspective, I only ever want people to say yes or no, I don’t require them even to speak at all sometimes, because it’s really about me being held by the other world. And just the expression of that. Now, on a practical level, as mediums, we need to have the involvement of the recipient, certainly, if we’re demonstrating publicly, just so that other people are involved in the experience, you know, that they can witness the reality of the spirit world communicating, and that they can see that the yeses mean that we’re getting it right, and that there’s a reality there. So, it’s nice if people respond, but really, I would, for me, it can often be a distraction.

Ann 

You have just mentioned working on Zoom. And obviously, I know that you work, have worked many times in person and continue to work in person as well, pandemic allowing, what’s the difference, Darren, do you find, between online and in person? And which do you prefer?

Darren 

Wow. I have to say, after 30 years of trawling around the country, and working and getting on and off planes, I prefer Zoom. It’s nice to have a break from the physicality of you know, staying in hotels, and, you know, travelling and all the stresses that brings. So the differences are really noticeable, I think, because obviously, when people are on Zoom, you know, the recipient, from a recipients perspective, they are often not fully present, you know, there’s a TV on in the other part of the room, they’re looking at a computer screen for a demonstration, they might be eating their dinner, they’re having conversations with other people that are present. So, you know, whereas in, in a church or a centre, or a theatre, even, you know, you as the medium are the focal point, you know, so there are so many distractions for the recipient, and that, I think, can lead us as the medium to sometimes feel like we’re not being engaged with fully, you know, and that can be unsettling for one. Often when everybody’s on mute, it’s a very lonely place, it feels, when you are so, you know, in your in your mediumistic state, and you’re being held by the spirit world, but you’re giving information out and there’s a wall of silence that can be quite disconcerting as well, in terms of the benefits of it. Certainly, from my perspective, when I demonstrate publicly, I always have to keep a part of my awareness on the audience, I’m noticing, you know, when people are putting their hands up, I’m keeping an awareness of engaging as many people as we can in the experience, you know, by doing that with my personality, and you know, kind of including people in the experience, but on Zoom, I don’t have to keep a part of my awareness on the room, you know, usually there’s a host or an organiser that is watching the room on my behalf. So in that respect, I can give more of my awareness to the spirit world, I don’t have to be as present in this world, as I do publicly. So they’re the main benefits. I think, from my perspective.

Ann 

And just going back, Darren, just going back to what we were just speaking about, the recipient interacting with us as mediums, do you find that if a recipient says yes, I can take that or if you say, do you understand that information and they say, yes, do you find that helps to build the energy between you, the recipient and the spirit world? So it’s a three-way conversation or do you find that that is, interrupts the procedure for you?

Darren

Yeah, I think that there’s a, I think it’s a mistake to think that we need, as mediums we need their voice to make a link with the spirit world. I think that’s inaccurate. We don’t need their voice to make that link. And certainly, from my perspective, as a medium if we have the choice between two or three people who can accept the information, you know, traditionally mediums, you know, check in with each recipient, which can you understand, how many yeses can I get and traditionally, the medium will give that contact to the person that says yes, the most. And that’s never really been my way of operating as medium. So, when that situation arises, I would really move into holding my connection with the spirit communicator, and asking each recipient to speak just to say, hello to me. And what I’m looking for in that interaction, is that the spirit communicator will respond to the person that they recognise. So in effect, rather than letting the recipient choose, I’m letting the spirit person choose. Because even if a person says yes, five times, that still doesn’t necessarily mean that that’s the right connection. So in terms of using the voice, you know, I can hear vibrationally, I can feel when I hear the voice, whether that’s the correct recipient. So I think that I don’t need the recipient to actually make mediumship work, you know, generally speaking, but it can be quite helpful in that respect to identify who the recipient is for the correct spirit communicator.

Ann 

Yeah, that’s good. That’s a great explanation. And I love watching you when someone, you offer some information to a recipient, and they say, no, then what you do with that information is you say, let me help you unfold that, or let me help you understand that, which I think is a beautiful way of working.

Darren 

Thank you. Thank you. And it’s so important, I think, because, you know, we’ve all seen not to be unkind about anybody, but we’ve all seen really mediocre mediumship. And I think one of the things about Zoom is that the world has opened up for mediums now, which is on one level, great. But there’s such a diversity. And, and I’ve witnessed so much in so many things in the name of mediumship, where things are just left, there’s unfinished, you know, and, you know, well think about that, take that with you. And whilst on some level, we have to do that sometimes.  Sometimes there’s great evidence that can come from research, you know, outside of the mediumship experience, I think we have to follow the line, you know, as far as we can go as mediums, to ensure that the recipient has as much information available. And remember, from the spirits perspective, they want to be heard, they want their loved ones to know I made it and I’m okay. So, they’re going to come with that available information. So we just have to be in alignment with that. So if a recipient says no, I don’t trust it for one, I don’t trust that that no means, you know, there’s nowhere else to go with that. So yes, let me help you, let us help you understand that, because that’s really what the spirit communicator wants.  They want them to know, I’m here. And also, I think as an Arian, and I’m not good at letting things go, you know, so, so I’m a person that likes to, you know, I don’t like unfinished business, you know, so in that respect, I need to follow the line and see what how far we can go with it.

Ann 

What about mediums who are out there working and trying out different methods and so on? And they are bringing forward someone from the spirit world, but nobody can take them? Why do you think we bring forward sometimes people like that, who are very, very real to us as mediums, who are very, very present, but no one can actually accept the evidence that you’re offering?

Darren 

It’s incredibly first of all, frustrating for the medium, isn’t it? Because, you know, we’re, it’s real to us, you know, it’s absolutely real to us, and we can’t deny that we’re in touch with that loved one. And I think there’s, there’s a few different reasons for that.  Maybe the recipient is not feeling brave enough to respond, that’s the first thing you know, maybe that information is coming forward, is falling on deaf ears, for lots of reasons, you know. They may be fearful of speaking in public, they may be not wanting you to know their business, they may be with people in the audience that they don’t want to know their business as well. So, so, a no doesn’t necessarily mean first of all, that we are wrong as mediums. I think linking to what I said earlier that there are times when, when we have to research, you know, we have to look into that evidence that many times I’ve been given information from mediums, and it meant nothing to me whatsoever at the time. And yet, when I’ve checked it, it’s turned out to be highly evidential. You know, there was one of my students gave me a communication once and she gave me the name of the sanatorium that my grandfather was in when he had tuberculosis many years ago. I, that happened well, before I was even born, and yet, she gave me the name and when I checked it with my mum, it was incredibly accurate, you know. So it was beyond my knowledge of understanding, beyond my experience, and, and so it was highly evidential for my mum. And I think sometimes there’s an intelligence at play here that sometimes we have to be willing to research that, you know, so I think that can be a reason why sometimes it seems to kind of fall flat. But if the recipient is willing to take that evidence and research it, either the evidence, the intelligence of the spirit world will become really evident in that.

Ann 

Yeah, that’s a great explanation, thank you, Darren. So, talk to us then a little bit about spiritualism. So, we’ve got spiritualist churches, and then we’ve got spiritual centres and people listening may not understand the difference between spiritualism or a spiritualist centre, so maybe you could explain a little about that.

Darren

Thank you. So first of all, I would say I’m not a spiritualist and the reason I’m not spiritualist is because whenever we start to identify with a belief system, we are engaged with the mind, you know, the ego becomes very identified with it, we accept as a part of us and we become a part of it. And then we become very entrenched sometimes in that because we personalise it, we find it very difficult to think differently to go beyond the limits of the construct that that presents. And what that also does, when we start to identify ourselves as a thing, it has the potential to disconnect us from the spiritual dimensions of ourself. And certainly as a, as a spiritual being that I acknowledge that I am, I want to be able to express the potential of my soul without any of those limitations or restrictions of the mind and all those identifications that it makes. Now, having said that, you know, the bulk of my work for 30 years has been within Spiritualism, as a religion and in Christian spiritualist churches, in spiritual centres, in SNU, spiritualist churches, and there was a time that I never really felt like I was kind of being authentic to myself, that this gave me a platform, it gave me an environment to be able to express my mediumistic ability, but I never really resonated with the religion itself. And so for me, now that I don’t work within spiritualism, for that reason, because I think it presents a limitation to the expression of my soul. That isn’t to say that it’s not powerful or positive for many, many people, just as it has been for me in the past. And there are some wonderful people who are holding spiritual centres and churches around the world that are devoted to doing good, and to explore mediumship, spirituality and such things, which is phenomenal. So I think the religion of Spiritualism is one thing, I think the aspects of spirituality, is a separate thing, and sadly, those two things aren’t always kind of in alignment with each other, from my experience.

Ann

Going to your book again, Darren, you wrote this beautiful book From Innocence to Inner Sense. Why did you decide to write that? Or at what point in your career did you think, oh, gosh, I really need to put this now into a book. How did that kick in?

Darren

Well, it was kind of, it was probably about 12 years into my mediumship, into my working as a medium that I was kind of being inspired by the spirit world to kind of jot a few things down, you know, noticing things that were happening in my mediumship, things that were happening in my understanding, and I would kind of make some notes just as a journal occasionally about about those things. And really, you know, that was kind of, they were there, they were sat on the computer in a file, unlooked at, untouched for many years, you know, they were just added to, but never really looked at. And then COVID hit and lockdowns happened, and, you know, the world changed. And, and I think like many of us, we were exploring ourselves looking at, you know, what do we want, who am I, who am I with this or without this job? And, and I think there was a, you know, a kind of a sorting out of, of who am I for, certainly, from my perspective, that’s how it felt. And I was just looking through a computer and looking through my files and saw these kind of writings that had been there for years. And I decided to open them and look through them. And, and the spirit world said, your book has already been written, your book has already been written. And so when I looked at the things that I’d been inspired to write from all these years before, there was a lot in there that I think would be very, that I felt would be very helpful to many other people who have been on this same pathway. Although our experience will be different of the spirit world and unique as we are, there were elements that were very common, I think, to many of us. And that’s really what made me want to put it into the book format, is that it would have the potential to help people understand an aspect of their mediumship, which I think many of us, you know, have. So I can’t say, I mean, many people have said to me, did you want to do it to help people? And whilst that’s a really noble thing, it really wasn’t the primary motivation.  It was about the fact that I just wanted to express what the soul wanted. And clearly that inspiration that came, came from a place that demonstrated an intelligence, that these years later, I would want to put that into a form that people could could read and benefit from hopefully. So, it really was about the expression of information as a part of my soul’s purpose. That was really the motivator behind it. It was without diminishing it, it was basically a cut and paste book, that I kind of put together, based on those years of, kind of inspirations that came previously, with a few bits in between to kind of link the bits together.

Ann

Yeah, that’s great. But it’s beautifully written because it goes through your childhood, it goes through your whole process of becoming aware of the spirit world and takes you right up to right up to the now almost. Yeah, so and where can people buy this book if they want to go and read it, which I highly recommend everybody does?

Darren

Thank you, thank you. So, it’s available really worldwide. It’s printed in the UK, but it’s actually available through all online retailers. It’s available through all bookstores around the world. If you are outside of the UK, you can place an order. Wherever you are in the world. It will be printed in your country and dispatched from that area. So so there aren’t any places in the world that are unavailable. Everything can be can be accessed now, so…

Ann

Perfect. And it is. And it says on the back “a vital handbook for those studying mediumship”. And I totally agree with those words, it was just it was so helpful to me, it was so useful, it’s packed full of information for people to learn so much more from you. So, thank you.

Darren

Thank you.

Ann

So, Darren, what do you think, you now work in this wonderful area of soul appraisals and looking at people and their reasons for being here, what is your current understanding, which I know will evolve over the coming years, more than likely, but what is your current understanding of why we’re here as soul beings?

Darren

I, you know, I used to think that we’re here to help people, I used to think that’s what mediumship was all about. And, you know, at that point, once we start to identify with that thought, then we usually become very aligned with an outcome, you know, which is about satisfying, usually a need within the medium. So, my current understanding is really that my work, all of our work as mediums should not be about other people. And that sounds a really harsh, almost unkind thing to suggest. I think that the reason that we’re here is to remember who we really are, separate to the ego, separate to the identity, separate to all the top layer of Darren Brittain of Ann Théato, you know, we’re not here to understand us on that level, we’re on to we’re here to understand who we are spiritually, to remember who we are. So that’s my understanding.

Ann

And what, here’s a controversial question. What’s your understanding of God?

Darren

Wow, that’s huge. For me, it’s a power. It’s a presence. When we talk about sitting in the power, I believe that we are sitting in full conscious awareness that we are God, that there isn’t a separateness, that there isn’t a long-bearded man sat on a cloud dishing out judgments. I think we humanise God, I think that there are many cultures, and certainly certainly religions that, that give God a human face. And I think that we believe sometimes in those cultures that, that God will treat humans like people treat humans. And I think that’s the mistake that we make in terms of how we view God. So, I look at God as love. I look at God as power. I look at God’s intelligence, I look at God as mercy, as wisdom. I think it was Iyanla Vanzance,  said that the soul she felt was that the fingerprint of God, I would go one further and say that we are God, and not the religious God, that’s punitive or judgmental or critical. But that  we tap into and we are, that, that loving power, that becomes evident through us.

Ann

Yeah, I think that’s beautiful. That’s really beautifully expressed. Thank you.

Darren

Thank you.

Ann

And you are teaching, you teach wonderful things on your website, I see a Development Circle, no, no, what do you call it?  A progression groups?  A  Development  Group?

Darren

Just a development group? Yeah.

Ann

Yeah. And is that still on offer Darren?

Darren

So, at the moment, I am running groups at the moment, and both of them are filled at the moment. They’re a six-week development group. So, we’re looking at the principles of the book, the mind, the power, the connection, the breath, the people, the language, the expression and the environment. So, we’re looking at those elements in terms of how they impact our mediumistic state and our expression of mediumship. So that’s two six-week groups, they are fully booked at the moment, but I will be looking to open them up again and from roundabout March/April onwards, this year.  I see people on a one-to-one basis for individual tuition, I don’t like to call it mentorship, mentorship, because I think that, that again, there’s something about the label of being a mentor, which again, to me does doesn’t quite resonate. So, we, I sit with people on a one to one and we look at what’s going on in their mediumship, looking what’s going on in their mind, what are the aspects of themselves that are preventing the expression of the mediumship. So that’s, that’s what I offer on a one-to-one basis. But really, my my attitude to all students of mediumship is that you already are ready made, you know, you already are, all have the ability to be phenomenal mediums. It’s all there. It’s inherent within you. But my role as a tutor, really, I guess, is to look at what are the elements of you, your mind, your belief, your experiences, your expectation? What are you bringing to the experience that’s limiting the expression of that? I think it was Michelangelo that said, that when he was invited to ask about his work as a sculptor, he said that when he’s given the block of stone to carve, the form’s already there, he just has to look at reducing or limiting those bits that are limiting that form being expressed and seen. So that’s really how I look at the tuition of mediumship. I can’t do the teaching. I’m just looking at what is obscuring the expression of that beautiful power that’s already inherent.

Ann

That’s such a great explanation. It’s a really good way to look at it. So yeah, thanks.

Darren 

Thank you.

Ann 

Do you have an exercise then that you could maybe give us? You spoke earlier or I asked you, more to the point, about how we can become more aware of getting more evidence and becoming more in tune with a spirit world.  Have you got something you can offer to people listening, that they might be able to try out, either next time they’re working, or maybe at home right now or when they’re demonstrating?

Darren 

So, I think the important thing is, that when we start to employ techniques in mediumship, we give an invitation to the mind to get involved. And so, when we have a technique that, you know, we say you have to do a certain things to get a set result, there are two things that that come up there in within the mind. One part is, there’s a ritualistic part of that, where we have to think about what we’re doing, we have to follow that thought, we have to do it repetitively, for it to be successful. But then there’s another part of the mind, that’s obviously looking for success, you know, it’s measuring how successful is that exercise. So really, from my perspective, as a teacher, I’m not a great fan of teaching techniques, because they involve the mind. So, what I can offer you is an experience to identify more fully with the soul that you are beyond the mind beyond the body, so that you can start to become in alignment with that power, where the spirit world are easier to access, because you’re already in the spirit world. And one way of doing that really is by taking a moment just to sit or lie comfortably. And focus on your for example, your left foot, and focus on the physicality of it, how it feels how your sock or your shoe covers your left foot. But then move beyond the physicality and be curious about the energy in your left foot and look for the vibration or the subtle feeling of movement of energy within your left foot. And then move up to the calf and the shin and then the upper thigh. And notice the physicality but look beyond that to experience the energy or the vibration of energy within it. Moving then to the leg, the other leg, the arms, the torso, the stomach, the abdomen, the hips, the chest, the shoulders, and moving to the face and the head, and start to experience yourself as a spiritual being first, and start to move into that beyond the mind. Because if we start to say to you, don’t think a certain way, then by nature of the mind, we will think about a certain thing. It’s like me saying, don’t think about a black dog, you’re gonna think about a black dog, you know. So, we can’t experience the spiritual self, by the mind through the mind, we have to look beyond that. So instead, using that exercise, you’re identifying with the power that you are, you’re identifying with the spirit that you are, that puts you in alignment with the power that is around us always.

Ann 

That’s really quite brilliant.

Darren

Thank you.

Ann

It’s brilliant.  As you were doing that, I was like, oh, I can feel this energy in my left foot.  So interesting I want to really go away and really work on that, that’s beautiful. Thank you, Darren, that’s wonderful.

Darren 

Thank you.  Darren, thank you so much for all of your incredible knowledge and sharing so much with us today. We’re so appreciative. And I wonder if you could just let people know what what you’re you’ve got coming up in terms of what you’re teaching? And where people can find you if they want to come and book a Soul Appraisal with you, for instance?  Sure. So the first point of contact really would be my website, www.darrenbrittain.co.uk. There’s information on there about Soul Appraisals, about the development groups that I take, and also about upcoming events that I’m teaching. On the 19th and 20th of March, I’m teaching a trance class and a group on the importance of awareness for the Inner Spiritual Center in New Jersey. So that’s available 19th and 20th of March that’s on my website as well at the moment.

Ann 

And do you have any travel plans? Are you teaching abroad? Are you, now that the pandemic is lifting and we’re all moving around?

Darren 

No, well  that class was meant to be in person, but then because of COVID restrictions and changes and travelling issues, that, that’s not possible. So hopefully, this event, these events will be online in March, but hopefully in October this year, I’ll be back over to the Inner Spiritual Center in person for events, COVID, permitting, and potentially Denmark as well later in the year.

Ann 

And of course, you’ve got your business Facebook page, so if people are Facebook users, they can go to your Facebook page and look up all the things that you’re doing on your Facebook page.

Darren 

Sure, yeah, so there’s there’s a Facebook page for myself under my name., there’s also a Facebook page for the book, From Innocence To Inner Sense. And that’s also available for people to reach me as well.

Ann

Darren Brittain, thank you so much for your time.

Darren 

Thank you and it’s been a pleasure.

Ann

Well, I hope you have thoroughly enjoyed this episode and have learned loads!  Talking to Darren was just so enlightening and he is such an interesting man, working incredibly hard out there and as you can hear and he holds so much expert knowledge, which makes him a fantastic teacher.  Please do go over to his website, or his Facebook pages and look at all his upcoming workshops and events and I’m sure you’ll find something on there that you will really love.

And I can highly recommend you purchase and read his oh so brilliant book, From Innocence to Inner Sense.  And you can pick up the links to Darren’s book and to all of the resources mentioned in this episode over on my website –www.anntheato.com along with a full transcript.

Ooh, I’m getting a bit croaky aren’t I, excuse me!

For now, I wish you all a wonderful couple of weeks and thank you very much for listening. Please do go to Podchaser and leave a written review or over to Apple podcasts and you can leave a review that way and let’s try get to Number one!

Until next time, my name is Ann Théato and thank you for listening to Psychic Matters.

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