559. How Spirit Guides Communicate: Mediumship, Spirit Teams, and Ethics with Lorenda Carr

Soul Elevation is built on the idea that your spiritual path is not meant to feel confusing, frightening, or out of reach. It is meant to feel like a remembering. In episode 559 with guest Lorenda Carr, we explore what that remembering looks like when it comes through intuition, mediumship, and the subtle ways spirit tries to get our attention. Lorenda is an evidential medium, psychic, trance channel, and past life regression practitioner who has a grounded, ethical approach to spiritual work. She also lives a very human life with real responsibilities, including running a dance studio and guiding competitive dancers, which makes her perspective especially relatable for anyone trying to balance spiritual growth with everyday reality.

One of the themes that stood out immediately in this episode is how often people receive the same message again and again, and still find a way to dismiss it. Lorenda shares a sequence of unmistakable “signs” that nudged her toward her calling. She was told repeatedly by different readers that she would eventually do the same work they do, and she kept responding the way many of us do when something feels too big to claim: they probably say that to everyone (I also can relate to this feeling!). But the signs kept escalating, and in a moment that felt almost comically specific, she received a call from John Edward’s office telling her she had won a free reading, and his message to her was direct. You are going to do what I do. When you hear a message that clear, multiple times, from many sources, it starts to feel like a persistent invitation.

What I loved about this part of Lorenda’s story is that it highlights a quiet truth that many spiritually sensitive people live with. Sometimes your gifts are present long before you feel permitted to own them. Permission becomes the doorway. And often the permission that you need the most comes from within you, ultimately, rather than from something external.

Another powerful thread in this conversation is how spirit communicates differently with each person. Lorenda describes the way her guides have shown her that they work with what is available in your system. If you are open visually, they will use images. If you are more open through feeling, they will use sensation. If your mind is structured in a way that needs logic and interpretation, they may even deliver “downloads” that feel like your own ideas so you will accept them without resistance. It is a compassionate approach, really, and it reframes the question from “Why can’t I connect?” to “How is connection already happening for me?”

Lorenda shares a symbolic vision that made this concept really land for me. In her meditation, she perceived people as if they were covered in sheets, each sheet with different openings, as though spirit was tossing messages toward whatever openings were available. The metaphor was so clear. Spirit communicates through the openings you have. And those openings can change over time. If you have been conditioned to fear spiritual experience, your system may initially close down certain channels. If you have spent years trusting your intuition, your channels may widen. The point is not to compare yourself to someone who sees spirits visually or hears voices clearly, but to begin to recognize your own strength for intuitive perception.

This naturally led us into the topic of mediumship development and the blocks that can slow it down. Lorenda shared that one of her biggest early obstacles was the belief that mediumship required seeing spirits the way movies portray it. She assumed that if she did not see full apparitions, she could not be a medium. But as her skills grew, she realized that mediumship can show up through inner knowing, imagery, subtle hearing, symbolic impressions, and emotional resonance. Sometimes someone thinks they are “just psychic” rather than having skills as a medium, only to discover that loved ones in spirit have been stepping into their readings all along. What changes is not necessarily the presence of spirit, but your ability to recognize and trust what you are receiving.

Trust is where the conversation became especially practical. Lorenda talked about the difference between performing and allowing. Many people who are talented, accomplished, or used to being “good at things” bring that same energy into spiritual work. They try to interpret, control, or deliver what they think the other person wants. But the moment she stopped trying to force it and simply allowed what came through, her accuracy and flow expanded dramatically. She described a pivotal moment where she essentially told her guides, fine, I will just say what I get, but you better make it good. 😂 That was when things opened and she had an undeniable shift in experience. There is something important there for anyone learning to work with intuition. The more you grasp, the more it can slip away. But the more you relax into receiving, the more coherent it becomes.

We also talked about the shift from believing to knowing. Lorenda described how life changes when you are no longer hoping spirit will show up, but you know it will. That knowing creates a different kind of confidence - a grounded certainty that you are supported. It also changes the way you work with clients, because you stop trying to impress and start focusing on service. You become a conduit, not a performer.

A big part of Lorenda’s path includes her involvement with Camp Chesterfield in Indiana, a historic Spiritualist community that draws visitors from far beyond the local area. I was fascinated to hear how a conversation with someone connected to Camp Chesterfield eventually led Lorenda into mentorship and development there, especially as the world changed during the pandemic and classes became more accessible online. Over time she was invited into platform mediumship, which is a specific style of message work delivered to an audience, with an emphasis on ethics, clarity, and evidential connection. Lorenda shared that she often serves as a guest medium there and that the experience has stretched her in ways that echo that early “sign” from John Edward about doing what he does.

One of the most intriguing details she shared is the way spirit integrates symbolism into everything, even her clothing. She described how she allows spirit to guide what she wears on platform, including the crowns she is known for, and how those choices become part of the message for someone in the audience. A pair of shoes with pearls became an unmistakable connection to an Aunt Pearl. Moments like that remind you that spirit communication is rarely linear. It is layered, playful, and often more creative than the rational mind expects.

From there we moved into energetic hygiene, boundaries, and the real-life necessity of protecting your field. Lorenda shared a story about an experience where she picked up a heavy, angry energy that did not feel like her own, and how remote support from a trusted practitioner helped clear it. The deeper teaching was that sensitivity requires boundaries. You don't have to feel everything or let someone else’s energy into your system in order to help them. You can receive information through your inner channels while keeping your field sovereign and clean.

Lorenda explained that she works closely with her spirit team in this regard, setting clear agreements that they will run interference and manage access. In her framework, there are different guides who support different aspects of the human experience, specifically a protector guide, teacher guide, alchemist guide who helps manage the mind body spirit complex, and a joy guide connected to your emotional life and inner child. Whether you resonate with these exact terms or not, the takeaway is empowering. You are not alone. You have support. And you can learn to collaborate with that support consciously.

If you want to explore this for yourself, the simplest entry point is to begin relating to your guidance with sincerity and curiosity. In meditation, you can invite the part of your spiritual support system that helps you experience joy, safety, and emotional regulation. You can ask how that support wants to be known by you. You can ask what you are learning together. The point is not forcing some sort of dramatic experience but building relationship and trust over time.

The most important part of this episode, and the one I hope everyone takes seriously, is our discussion of ethics in mediumship and psychic work. Lorenda is deeply committed to ethical practice, and she shared clear examples of what ethical integrity looks like and what it doesn't. Ethical mediumship includes consent and delivering information in a way the receiver can truly hold. There is humility, because you are translating impressions rather than declaring absolute truth. It includes an awareness of the power dynamic that exists when someone comes to you feeling vulnerable, grieving, confused, or searching for guidance.

Lorenda gave examples of unethical behavior that many people have unfortunately encountered online, including fear-based manipulation, dramatic claims intended to hook people into expensive “clearings,” and careless statements that plant long-term anxiety in someone’s mind. She also spoke about the harm caused when readers blurt out unverified impressions as fact, especially around sensitive topics. The spiritual world is real, but discernment is really needed when navigating it. A strong ethical reader does not use intuition as a weapon. They use it as a tool for healing, clarity, and empowerment.

One point that really landed is that ethical guidance honors free will. Lorenda shared a personal experience of being told for years that she would divorce her husband. That prediction planted fear, even though the story evolved in a more nuanced way. She and her husband did separate, but the separation catalyzed growth and change, and the relationship transformed. The lesson here is profound. Predictions are not always destiny. There are multiple timelines. There are forks in the road. And a responsible reader helps you see choices, patterns, and possibilities without locking you into fear.

This is also why I want anyone listening to this conversation to remember that you are always the authority of your life. A reading can be supportive, validating, and illuminating, but it should never override your inner knowing or disempower you. If something makes you feel smaller, more fearful, or dependent on the reader, that is a sign to pause and reassess.

To connect with Lorenda, check out her website, lorendacarr.com, and her live show The Crowned Medium (my episode here). She also mentions an upcoming podcast project called The Liminal Lounge, created with other practitioners, with the intention of empowering people to understand spiritual development and engage with readers from a more informed place. If you are curious about Camp Chesterfield, Lorenda also talks about how their services work and what it is like to attend in person, including the focus on proving the continuity of life through message work.

This conversation is a reminder that spiritual gifts are not about being special, but truly about being connected. Remember that you are supported, guided, and capable of receiving wisdom. When we talk about mediumship, intuition, and spirit communication, we are talking about the most tender parts of human experience: love, loss, meaning, and the longing to know that we are not alone. That deserves reverence, discernment, and ethics.

Thank you for the work you are doing to connect deeper to your soul. We need you on this planet! For more inspiration, check out the other episodes of Soul Elevation, and please like, subscribe, and share. 

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