Since I was planning to be in New York City in January for the New York Times Travel Show, my friend Noah who is aware of our expanded coverage of Spirituality and Spiritual Voices, suggested I have a session with and interview psychic medium Paul Selig. While I trust Noah‘s opinion — he’s an intuitive himself — I had to know what makes Paul so special.

Paul Selig

While the following facts are not the ones that make Paul Selig truly special, they are still unique in the world of mediumship. While many mediums often have a first career before they’re ready to embrace a spiritual life full time (or feel they can afford to), the majority don’t come from such an esteemed background as Paul.

While he has a full time practice and leads seminars and workshops around the world, Paul is also a teacher and author of five books. With a master’s degree from Yale, he certainly has a different perspective than many. He also directs the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing Program at Goddard College and serves on the faculty at New York University.

Paul Selig
Paul Selig, Medium for the Living, Author & Teacher

When his own spiritual awakening left him clairvoyant in 1987, he went on a journey to learn as much as he could which resulted in healing of his own. He sees his work as very healing — while there’s no doubt a sense of relief and joy when you hear from a deceased loved one’s spirit, imagine getting insights from someone who’s still living in your life?

Paul Selig: Medium for the Living

All spiritual gifts are in a way an art form, like any talent. Even if we’re born with intuitive and psychic gifts, it doesn’t mean that a whole lotta learning, practice and experience isn’t required to get really good at it.

New mediums don’t always hear messages from the spiritual realm clearly at first nor do they understand everything that is happening, who the messages are from or how to control it. And, their gifts differ. For example, some mediums are born with knowing (cognizance), others with sight (clairvoyance) whereas others hear things (clairaudient). There are a lucky few who have a combination of many clair-senses, although this can be confusing at first, and certainly make it difficult to go out to dinner with a group of friends, especially if their deceased relatives are lingering around and want to connect.

For Paul, he can “hear” messages for his clients but it’s not necessarily from those who have left the Earth plane. It’s for your Aunt Jo, your mother, your son or your wife who are very much still alive and in your life. At first I thought — how eerie is that?

Described as “a medium for the living,” I wasn’t sure what to expect, so I made my way to Paul Selig‘s Chelsea-based studio on New York‘s west side during a cold January afternoon, armed with my notebook and iPhone for recording.

When I made my way into his brick building, someone was sitting at the front desk immediately to the left as you enter. I told him about my appointment and he responded without looking up at me —“apartment or studio?” 

“Studio,” I retorted boldly and confidently in that way I always do when I visit New York knowing that loud and quick is the order of the day here. Of course, I didn’t really know where I was going since it was my first time, but he directed me around the corner and so with a little hesitation, I knocked. I was actually a few minutes early, a rarity for me.

There wasn’t even a pause. It was as if Paul was expecting me to be early. How little he knew about this former New Yorker, who now lived a slower and more serene-filled lifestyle on the West Coast.

It turns out that Paul had a bad cold that day, so the nurturing side of me took over. I wished I had known I thought and I would have brought my mini-aromatherapy kit so we could diffuse some Rosemary and Eucalyptus into the air during our session. I’m usually armed with Echinecia tablets too but didn’t have any that day.

Lucky, my place was on the couch across from him although I continued to feel for him during our session because I too always work when I’m sick — it’s such a drain physically and emotionally.

He was very a matter a fact however and eager to get started. Apparently, there’s a four month waiting list for a reading with Paul Selig but I got lucky with a cancellation.

Behind the Scenes with Paul Selig

While I have already given you a glimpse into his biggest gift — reading the living — what on earth does that mean and what’s it like? I was wondering that for two weeks before my appointment and certainly while walking up to his Manhattan building.

Paul Selig has the unique ability to step-into and “become” the people his clients ask about, often taking on their personalities and physical characteristics as he “hears” them telepathically. Literally. 

Paul Selig

He began to explain a little how he works and that as he hears something, a phrase, word or thought, he says it quickly as almost a fast whisper and then repeats what what was conveyed more clearly and loudly to the recipient. In this case, me on the couch. And so, you hear everything twice, which can be a bit disconcerting and confusing at first until you get used to the style in which he connects with Spirit and thereafter speaks.

Before he began, I crawled on the floor over to a plug, gave my phone some juice and hit record. We were now rolling. What was he going to tell me?

While I have no fear of the spiritual realm (from the light), and believe that spirit communication from the higher realms are loving and have the highest intention, it’s odd when spirit conveys information or even takes on a personality of your other half. And so I was more than just a little intrigued.

I didn’t want to start with my other half just yet however, so I asked him to focus on We Blog the World and where he sees it going, the kinds of people who would be involved, and what shape it would take. Paul began this request by focusing on me — who I am, how I have shaped it and how I can learn to let go (and control more in some cases) to let it expand.

He nailed my personality fairly quickly and even acted out certain emotions, which quite frankly, was profound. It’s both amusing and unnerving watching someone act you out like a playbook. The first emotion he conveyed was one of transition, moving from the old tired me who was young, enthusiastic and never says no to anyone or anything to the older wiser me who has more discernment and is starting to put her own needs first for a change.

As Spirit came through, the biggest message was that the old way of ‘being’ will not best serve my path moving forward. “Ain’t that the truth,” I felt and may have even murmured under my breath. “Separation will kill you,” said Paul. “God is in the mud and in the sky. You’re always aligning your reality.”

“God is the mud and the sky”

He asserted that I must stop holding on so tightly and to move beyond scarcity in business….in life. I thought I had left scarcity in the bushes years ago, but perhaps not enough of it. There are so many layers of scarcity that we have as humans — even when we feel that we’ve eliminated issues, pealing back the layers mean that new layers of crud surface and those can be packed full too. We must be patient as healing past traumas and feelings that no longer serve us (like scarcity) can take time. A lot of time.

Paul continued to receive messages from Spirit very quickly — “build the frequency in consciousness and identity. There’s a difference between receiving and letting things come. This is true for everyone.” He continued. “Allow and know that you can receive without effort — it is safe to receive.” He repeated this three times.

“Allow & Know That You Can Receive Without Effort. It is Safe to Receive.”

I knew what this was about of course — knowing and claiming your divine worth. After all, the divine self knows she is worthy. The divine self knows that he deserves a life without struggle, poverty and strife. It‘s not the first time I have heard this of course, but as with any medium, there‘s a new distinction, a new texture, a new way in which the information is presented. It‘s almost as if Spirit keeps trying with different words, books, wisdom, movies, people, all hoping you‘ll ultimately get it and stop the struggle. You know, just BE!

Another core message was a reminder not to operate in fear. From fear. And, as always, giving permission to be ourselves. Now Spirit was referring to both Anthony and I, after which Paul started imitating Anthony‘s personality, which I found silly although most definitely saw authenticity and truth in it. He chose to take on Anthony’s goofier side, which is a side that often makes me laugh and so I did. I couldn’t help but wonder what Anthony would think if he were sitting on the couch next to me during this session.

You see, one of Paul’s many gifts is his uncanny ability to get into your head and into the head of your loved ones.

By playing or acting them out if you will, through hand motions, tone of voice and even words, you start to see how they feel about a situation first hand, but with a fresh and third party perspective.

This makes it easier to have compassion for them and to ultimately see the kinds of things you may be doing that isn’t always supportive even when you think it is. Understanding people‘s unique differences and what they need at certain points in their life, can be transformative, especially for intimate relationships.

This is the key I believe. Stepping outside of yourself, seeing it with fresh eyes and then going to your heart for answers, which is essentially your Higher Self, your Higher Voice. Here, you will find compassion, give up the criticism and make decisions based on their best interest, not solely your own.

It’s hard to see through the trees sometimes because ego gets in the way even if our intentions are inherently loving. It’s the human condition — we can’t help it. Self awareness and aligning with your soul will get you 80% there and along the way, we must remember to be kind to ourselves.

Once we realize that we are all energy, all connected, all one and everything we do affects the other, we can begin to communicate in more loving, empathetic ways. We will see our soul in another’s eyes and their soul in our own. It is a powerful place to be and will not just transform your relationship, but yourself, your view of “self”, your understanding of your role on the Earth plane and how it impacts the Universe. Yes, really…..the Universe.

While Paul’s personality is more serious than not, remember that he is a vessel, communicating what he feels, senses and hears from the spiritual realm, all with a goal of helping you on your journey.

In doing so, people report feeling lighter, more connected and more aware. He certainly gave me some insights and observations to ponder, some of which involves “unlearning” and “letting go” of some gunk. And I am grateful for that.

Channeled Work of Paul Selig

Paul’s work is channeled text which makes it fascinating reading. We hope to get a few of his books in and review them under our Spiritual Books section, so stay tuned. For more information on Paul Selig and his world, visit his website.

“You are the First in a Generation of Conscious Beings Coming into Form and you will make it possible for those that follow to exist more easily in the higher frequencies that are now available. This is a gift, but this is a massive change.  It’s a tidal wave of light ascending into you as you ascend into it.”

— FROM I AM THE WORD

Paul Selig
Taken of Paul Selig in his NYC studio after our session in January 2018

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