Life After Death and Connecting with Loved Ones | S2 E15 - Divine Style Podcast
Hosted by: Gerlinda Stella - Psychic Medium & Intuitive Life Coach
Episode Overview: In this deeply personal episode, I explore the profound themes of life after death and connecting with loved ones who have passed on. Through sharing my own recent experiences with loss, I offer insights into the journey of grief, the comforting belief in life after death, and how we can continue to feel connected to those who have moved on from this physical world.
Episode Highlights:
The Stages of Grief and the Healing Power of Time: Grief is a universal experience that everyone goes through in their own unique way. Understanding the stages of grief can help us navigate this challenging journey. From denial to acceptance, I delve into each stage and discuss how time helps us adjust and find ways to move forward.
Personal Stories of Connection: Being a psychic medium doesn’t make me immune to grief. However, I find immense comfort in knowing that there is life after death. I share personal stories of how my own loved ones have communicated with me from the other side. These experiences have provided me with profound lessons and a sense of comfort and connection.
Signs from Loved Ones: Explore the various signs that our loved ones might send to let us know they are still with us. From seeing birds and butterflies to hearing particular songs, these signs can bring immense comfort.
Practical Advice on Connecting with Loved Ones: Learn practical strategies to connect with your loved ones who have passed. I share tips on how to foster these connections, from quiet meditation to letter writing. These techniques can help you feel closer to your loved ones and provide comfort during times of grief.
Join me in this heartfelt exploration of life after death and the ways we can continue to feel connected to our loved ones. Engage with the podcast by sharing your own stories of connection and how they have shaped your journey through grief.
The Divine Style Podcast is your sacred space to explore the soul-deep connection between self-love, spirituality, and divine personal style.
Hosted by Gerlinda - Psychic Medium, Personal Stylist, and Self-Love Coach, each episode invites you into a journey of healing, intuition, and self-expression.
Through soulful stories, intuitive insights, and heart-led conversations, Gerlinda empowers women to awaken their inner wisdom, embrace who they truly are, and adore themselves from the inside out.
Join in on this transformational path of self-discovery, spiritual embodiment, and radiant self-love.
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*We began this journey alongside Alison Maiden, Psychic Medium and Metaphysical Teacher, who has now moved on to exciting new ventures. We are grateful for Alison's invaluable insights and contributions to our episodes. www.alisonmaiden.com
Gerlinda: Welcome, beautiful souls, to another episode of "The Divine Style." I'm your host, Gerlinda, a psychic medium, intuitive life coach, and guide on your path to self-discovery. Here, we delve deep into the heart of what it means to truly know and love oneself.
Thank you so much for tuning in each week. Your support means the world to me, and I'm just so grateful that we get to connect in this way. I also get to connect with some of you via Zoom for readings and healings, and in person when I'm travelling between Brisbane and Cairns. It’s such a blessing to be able to do this work.
Over the past few weeks, I know I've been absent, and it’s because my husband’s father passed away quite suddenly. In honour of the loss of my father-in-law and of all of those that I have lost, and all of those that you have lost, today we’re going to be talking about life after death. This is twofold: on one hand, it’s about how we grieve and move forward, and on the other hand, it’s about how our loved ones in spirit move forward too.
The stages of grief really have their own unique way of playing out in our lives, but it is helpful to understand them a little bit better when you do have the loss of someone in your life. Grief doesn’t always have to be about the loss of a person; it could also be the loss of a pet, a friend, or even something like selling a home or car. These feelings of grief still remain.
Grief is really a process of letting go, and the stages can be in any order. Denial is one of the huge ones because this is that initial shock and disbelief. This is actually one of our mind’s ways of being able to cope with the immediate loss. Then we have anger. You might feel anger towards the loved one that’s passed, towards yourself, or even directed at the people around you. There’s bargaining, where we want to make a deal, wishing and praying that things were different or that we could have done something differently. There’s also depression, that really deep sadness and emptiness that usually follows and is often the hardest part. This is where that intense missing can come from. Over time, this stage of acceptance creeps in.
Now, these stages can play out to and fro; there is no linear process with this. In one moment, you might feel angry, and in the next, you’ll be in denial. There’s no right or wrong way to grieve, but understanding these processes can help you find compassion and give yourself the time it takes to heal. And again, there is no time frame either. Some people might grieve for 12 months, some for five years or 10 years. There is really no end when it comes to these feelings and stages. So knowing that acceptance isn’t necessarily the goal but is the most helpful outcome, as a psychic medium, I can tell you that acceptance is really the key to connecting with spirit. It allows the spirit to be freed up instead of being tied or becoming earthbound trying to comfort you. Acceptance isn’t about forgetting; it’s about learning to live with the loss and finding a new normal.
I’ve spent many years honing and developing my psychic gifts and abilities with mediumship to connect with those on the other side. It doesn’t stop with other people’s loved ones; I’m fortunate to connect with my own loved ones too. The experience is a little bit different because I’m even more sceptical of the information coming through, in case I’m just being hopeful, dreaming, or wishing. I found it really fascinating with my father-in-law because once he passed away, I tried to contact him straight away when my husband asked me, and I couldn’t get any information. I got told that he was busy catching up with his late wife, his sister, his mother, and father, and that he was in a sort of holding or retreat state. I tried to be super patient, and each day that passed, my husband continued to ask me, “Is he there yet? Is he there yet?” Eventually, after about a week, we were on a plane back to his hometown to arrange the funeral. Out of nowhere, I was looking out of the window, and suddenly I felt the presence of my mother-in-law. The next minute, I felt his father come through, and he made a joke. He was known as a bit of a jokester to all his friends and family. He said, “Who’d have thought I’d be speaking to you like this?” It provided my husband and me with a lot of comfort. He explained some things that he wanted to be given to different family members, including that he wanted his grandson to have his war medals. Interestingly enough, his father also said during this conversation that he would help it out with his brother, and there wouldn’t be an issue. When we got to his brother’s home, the first thing out of his brother’s mouth was, “I think Dad would really love your son to have the medals.” My husband and I looked at each other, and it was such a beautiful confirmation that his dad was around, helping us from the other side to organise and coordinate things even after his passing.
I do want to mention that there can be not-so-nice side effects from being a medium within the family because spirits can often be a little intrusive. Once I opened the floodgates, his father came in every night with dreams for the next week. I would wake up heaving and breathing, having to relay messages, to the point where I had to kindly ask him for some space. Not long after that, he started coming to my husband in a dream, providing so much comfort. Dreams are one of the easiest ways for our loved ones to connect with us after passing. I know I’ve had many dreams of loved ones, including my uncle, who passed away on Boxing Day. He came through in a dream, showing me that he was dancing and really happy after his funeral. It was such a beautiful experience. In the past, being sceptical, I probably would have blown it off as my subconscious trying to make sense of what happened, but now I trust and have so much faith in spirit when they come through this way.
For me, sitting in the church at my uncle’s memorial service, I felt the presence of all my loved ones—his family, my family, friends—all who had passed away. It was such a beautiful experience to connect with my Nana and Pop. When I asked these beautiful spirits what they were doing there, they said they were there to provide comfort for Uncle Gary but also to learn the impact of his life. Every action, from raising his children to being a good friend or smiling at a stranger, was acknowledged as part of his impact. This lesson from spirit had a profound effect on me, knowing that nothing goes unnoticed and our impact is far and wide, sometimes in ways we may never know.
A long time ago, one of the very first spirit guides who came through to me during a meditation was my uncle Paul, my dad’s brother. He was born with a cord around his neck, causing learning disabilities, and he grew up in England, so I didn’t know him well. When he came up behind me wearing a suit, looking handsome with no indication of his disabilities, it was beautiful. After that meditation, I called my dad, saying Uncle Paul came to visit me, showing he was fine and wearing a suit. My dad said Paul loved dressing up and always wore a suit, something I couldn’t have known. He also showed me he had rocks and tissues in his pocket, something he used to do as a child. This evidence-based mediumship provides comfort, knowing it’s not just imagination.
When people tell me they haven’t been able to connect with a loved one, it’s often because they’re very close to the person who passed away, and there’s no separation between them. The first step is acceptance, acknowledging they’ve gone and allowing for a sense of separation. It’s in that gap we recognise their presence when they come in. Often, you’ll feel tears quite suddenly, as they try to comfort you. If you’re going through this, keep talking to them. They can hear you. Writing letters, burning, or burying them can be helpful. Ask for signs. They can come in dreams, butterflies, rainbows, or sunsets. Spirit has an incredible capacity to bring messages in ways that feel right for you and them.
If any of you are navigating grief, I send heartfelt condolences and love your way. Know that your loved ones are wanting to connect and are sending signs and symbols. Their impact, seen and unseen, lives on in our hearts and minds. I love receiving your emails and messages. If you’ve had beautiful or spooky experiences from loved ones bringing messages from the other side, I’d love to hear them. Or if you’d like to book a reading or healing, visit my website at gerlinda.com.au.
Thank you for joining me today on this journey of self-love and spiritual awakening. Until next time, take care and keep shining your beautiful light.
