Then do the deceased always speak English to me?  In a way, yes, and in a way, no.  Sometimes I do hear phrases word for word in my native language which is English.  I will hear a deceased person give me a certain phrase and I know I’m supposed to repeat it just that way because there is a significance to that phrase and to paraphrase would not be best.  So I repeat it the way I heard it.  Other times I just get thoughts and feelings and I have to translate their meaning.  For example, I might suddenly get a pain in my head while asking the deceased person how they died.  So then I’ll know there was either a stroke, head injury, Alzheimer’s or maybe a shot to the head.  Usually I can sense which one even if they don’t actually say, “Tell her I was shot in the head,” or “I died of a stroke.”  It sort of feels like I get a download of information and all I have to do is open the file and start reading.  Sometimes they put a song in my head and it turns out that the song has meaning.  Other times I just see an image, like of a birthday cake and a number, or a symbol like a fleur de lis or a question mark.  But a full thought usually comes with it.

The same non-verbal communication happens with animals.  On the occasions when I’ve connected with an animal who has crossed over, I get specific information from them, just like I do with deceased humans.  Obviously animals don’t speak English, so I must be getting the information through thoughts, images, and feelings.  Sometimes the animal shows me what they looked like.  That’s easy because then I just have to describe it.  One time I sat down in a woman’s chair and I immediately felt the presence of a very territorial cat sitting on top of the back of the chair where my head was.  When I tuned in I saw an orange cat with a smooshed in face (it seemed almost flat).  When I told her what I was getting she confirmed that her orange cat used to sit in that very spot (that was HIS spot!) and that his face was smooshed and they actually named him “Smoosh” because of it.  I almost had to move to a different location because this cat’s energy was so strong and territorial that I felt like I was intruding.  

Mainly animals convey love and connection and that they are still there and waiting for their loved ones to cross over.  They often also show me their replacements.  One time I was tuned in to a big calico cat who then showed me an image of a black kitten.  My sitter confirmed that his calico cat had died that year and that he had just gotten a new black kitten.  The calico wanted to convey that it was okay to replace him.  My sitter was very grateful to hear that because it was something that concerned him. 

Communication with the other side is energetic, not verbal.  Tune in to your own deceased relatives and see if you can sense their feelings or thoughts.  It might be too difficult for them to say, “Hey Julie, I’m here, I’m doing well, and will you please stop dating that jerk?”  Instead they may just be able to send a feeling, perhaps one of love, concern, or peace.  Dreams are the number one way in which spirits try to communicate with the living.  Be open to different modalities and it will increase your chance of making a connection with the other side.

Answer:  When someone dies they leave their body behind and their spirit, soul, consciousness, or energy (however you want to refer to it) lives on.  They move to another plane of existence that is not visible to us here in this dimension.  It is highly unlikely you’ll be able to use your five physical senses to detect their continued existence, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still communicate with them. 

When spirits reach the “other side” they are aware of the emotional impact their passing causes their loved ones.  Many will try to send back a message that they are okay.  How do they do this?  In the beginning, when they first cross over, they probably don’t know how.  Kindly beings, other deceased relatives, angels, and spirit guides can probably help.  But just because they get some assistance in sending a message doesn’t mean the living will pick it up.  Imagine how frustrating that must be for a spirit to have to watch people crying for them and be unable to comfort them.

Over time, the deceased spirit will try to send signs that they are still there, that their energy continues to exist.  Signs can include so many things that it would be impossible to name them all, but common signs are flickering lights, pictures hanging on the wall that get skewed or fall altogether, disruptions with your electronic systems, animals going a little kittywampus because they can see the spirit, finding pennies, finding feathers, odd interactions with butterflies or birds, familiar smells associated with your deceased loved one, special songs coming on the radio, and many more! 

The most common way spirits try to communicate with their loved ones is through dreams.  If you have a dream that your loved one comes to you and gives you a message, it often feels very real, very clear, and like you really were talking to them.  I believe 100% that these are real communications.  Dreams are the one time and place where your ego and objective mind are relaxed and you believe anything is possible.  Your vibration is high and you’re open for anything.  Spirits can more easily reach your subconscious mind than the clutter of your conscious mind.  So be on the lookout for “those” dreams.  Not all dreams of deceased loved ones are communication, however.  Sometimes your own subconscious mind simply conjures their essence into a dream.  The difference is how it feels and what happens in the dream.  When there is real communication, usually the deceased spirit offers a message of love, reassurance, and connection.  Sometimes they tell you what’s coming up in your life, so pay attention.

Is there a way you can initiate contact or do you have to wait for them to make the first move?  You can absolutely communicate with your loved ones.  Just talk to them.  Talk out loud, speak in your mind, they can hear you.  I can’t guarantee they are always listening, but I think for the most part when you cast your intention for them to hear you, they get the message.  To amplify your message, if you feel like it, light some candles, play some relaxing music, and meditate first.  This will increase your vibration and frequency and make the connection a little closer.  But really, all you have to do is think about them, send them love, imagine handing them flowers or imagine hugging them, they’ll get the message.

Is there a way to have a real-time two way communication with a deceased loved one?  This is much harder.  This is what professional mediums are doing when they do readings.  It’s difficult, though, if you’re not naturally talented in this area.  Communicating with a dead person when you are not a medium is like asking a podiatrist to perform brain surgery.  Probably the best way to communicate with the dead on your own is through meditation.  Open and clear your chakras, imagine yourself in a beautiful garden, and ask your deceased relatives to join you there.  The only problem is that you may mistake an imagined visitation with a real one.  It will be difficult to discern if you are just making up their presence in your mind.  One of the reasons to go to a medium is because if they don’t know the deceased person and they don’t know you, and information comes through that is valid, you can be reasonably certain they are talking to your deceased loved one.  I, myself, would seek another medium if I wanted to communicate with one of my own deceased relatives.  That’s the only way I would know for sure.  Or I would try to invite them to a dream because I would know that was real.  But nothing takes the place of having a total stranger tell you about your deceased loved one and passing on messages from them.

Whether or not you are able to initiate direct communication with a deceased loved one, please know that they are with you, can hear you, and still love you.  And of course, they’re okay.  The only time I see an unsettled spirit is when there was murder, accident, or suicide, and even then not in every case are they unsettled.  The bright side to that is that these are the spirits that come through so easily for me, because they are right there and hovering, anxious to speak and tell their stories.

I know it’s hard to lose someone you love and feel like you’re never going to see or talk to them again.  But nothing could be further from the truth.  The dead don’t leave us, they just change form.  Do your best to receive their signs and open yourself up for their communication.  When you think of them, send some love through that conduit, and who knows, you may feel some love coming down to you too.