Exploring Spiritual Gifts with Christina Walter

Welcome to the Real Life Momz podcast, where we put ourselves on the top of our to-do list. I'm here with fellow mom and shamanic, medium and artist Christina Walters, and today we are discussing developing our spiritual gift. So I'm so excited about this conversation. So, hi Christina, welcome to the show.

Hi. Hi everybody. I'm excited to be here because. I have experienced your work, so I know firsthand what you do, and I'm excited for other people to learn more about it. So I'm gonna start with maybe telling people, how do you even describe what you do? Because people haven't really heard that much, you know, from a medium specifically.

Right. And honestly, when I told people I was gonna go try this. People were either like, yes, take me along with you, or so freaked out. They didn't wanna talk about it. Right? [00:01:00] Yep. So let's demystify what you do. Tell us what you do. Well, I, so a medium is someone who really is just sensitive to the unseen energy around us.

Um, so since I was really little, I could feel. People around me in spirit, and when I was really little, I could see them. Um, and. So it's something that, you know, it's just like some people are really great at math or some people, you know, are really sensitive to emotions and they can really, you know, tune into that.

You know, it's just a sensitivity that we all have the capacity for because we are all spiritual beings and we just happen to be embodies right now. But we are all able to tune into that and kind of build that muscle. And it all starts really with our intuition, which is. Part of us, like it's a natural part of our being.

So for me, it was [00:02:00] something that I was kind of afraid of because of, you know, the environment I grew up in. There was a lot of, um, fear, you know, in that environment. And so I kind of shut things down. But as I got older. Um, I reclaimed those parts of me to kind of heal myself and that changed everything for me and brought so much joy and expansion.

And now I basically, I. Work with Shamanism, which is, it's a very old healing modality. It's a lot of energy work where we're looking for the wounds that people hold within their being either mind, body, heart, spirit, and we kind of help release old wounds. You know, those times when we feel like, you know, I used to be able to do this particular thing and now I just feel like I can't do that anymore and I don't know why or, or when we feel stuck.

In our lives, and we just can't seem to move forward. So, um, [00:03:00] the work that I do with Shamanism is combined with mediumship because I have guidance and I'm able to work with people's guidance. They ha everybody has guides and teachers and spirit, guardian angels, A lot of people call them. Um. And it's all this amazing, loving, supportive energy that we have around us.

And so I'm able to receive information for people to kinda help get them unstuck and to help clear these old wounds so that they can move forward and really shed those. You know, the false identities that we can kind of adopt growing up thinking that we have to be this way or we have to be that way so that we can find joy.

Really, it all comes down to finding out who we really, really are. Letting go of all the rest and being able to find joy. So I know that was kind of a long description, but. That's really right. Yeah. Yeah. [00:04:00] And what I love so much about you is exactly that. You, you just are like, I see people, you know, we all have people, we all I or I do this.

And you just really own it. And I know that that wasn't always your story. Like you said, you know, you kind of kind of like push it away for what you know, your own upbringing. But I love that now you do own it and when you talk about it, you are like, you can feel the joy. Of what you do and like that you're fully accepting you.

And I just think that's so cool. Mm-hmm. Now, you did mention that, you know, it's kind of like everybody has guides, everybody has intuition. Mm-hmm. So can everybody, I don't, I don't wanna say do what you do, but can everybody do I guess something? Yes, absolutely. It's just a muscle, you know, it's like.

Intuition. When we start to pay attention to our intuition, we start to [00:05:00] notice. I teach intuitive development classes. My students, they, they, we work on starting to notice when we're being guided, and usually we get that gut feeling with intuition, or we'll have like a, a knowing drop in, like we think of somebody and then all of a sudden they call us.

You know, those kind of things that happen. That's our intuition. That is because we have this spiritual center of knowing within us, and when we decide that we wanna develop that, really it takes just paying attention to it more. And we start to build the muscle. You know, we start to, okay, oh, I get that sense, or I get chills whenever this is.

You know, it's like we start to learn our own library of meanings that our intuition is speaking with us, speaking to us, um, through, and everybody's are different, right? So it's just, it's just starting to pay attention to that. And after that we can develop, you know. More psychic, you [00:06:00] know, knowing about other people, if we're, um, leaning towards mediumship where we wanna work with loved ones in spirit to kind of bring healing for that, which is amazing.

Um, you can study mediumship and it's all really just how far does someone wanna go with it? But it's all naturally given to us. It's a gift that we're, we're divinely given, so. The way I've learned it, there's nothing to fear. It's really we're we are opening up to those unconditionally loving energies that work with us and no one else.

Yeah. And I think like traditionally, if. It feels like it's something you have to be born with. And when I'm like, what I'm hearing is we're all born with it. Mm-hmm. Um, but it just, you know, when you meet somebody that feels very intuitive, you're like, oh, well you must be born with it. But what you're saying is, yes, you're born with it, but we all have to work at it.

We all have to work out, if you will, [00:07:00] in our, yeah. In our spiritual gym. Um, so, all right. What are the different. Spiritual gifts. 'cause there are different ones, right? That people have. What, what is that range of gifts that someone could have? Well, some people have a natural, uh, capacity for empathy. That's one of the, the Claires.

So we've, I don't know if you've heard about the Claires, but basically we have these. Senses other than the five senses where we can receive information. And so Claire Cognizance is where, you know, like my mother was very clear, cognizant, she would just know things and there was no explanation of how she knew them.

She just knew them. They just dropped in. Some people are clairvoyant. That's what people hear the most about. So when you can see. Images or get information in your, you know, in your head, you know, in your vision. Some people are CLA ian, they can hear guidance and that's one of, one [00:08:00] of my strongest ones.

Some people are cla sentient where they feel their body. Um, so those are the Claires. There's other ones. Um, but then there's also, you know, so empathy is a Claire, so that is basically intuiting empathic information, understanding what someone's feeling. It's just like a, it's like a sensitivity and extra sensory perception like these other Claires where we can actually feel that information, um, without any other explanation, without anybody telling us.

Some people have a natural capacity for healing. So, um, if you've heard of reiki and, you know, other healing modalities, you know, where people use their hands and they're actually directing life force energy, which is divine energy in through a person's body and helping to open up, um. Stagnant areas.

That's a lot like shamanic mediumship. When I work with somebody on the table, same thing. It's really feeling into where there's [00:09:00] blockages in the being so we can kind of clear that out and open up the system and that can free us from so many issues. So some people have more of that tendency. Um, there's so many different ways we can be drawn to this kind of work to use it for different things.

So. But, but coming all back to the beginning, we all do have that capacity. It's really, do we want to, are we committed to actually working on it? Do we want to pursue that and start learning? Because there's a lot of responsibility involved, you know, but. When we connect into our intuition, it's so brilliant because there's this amazing well of knowledge that anybody can access within themselves and they can feel, this feels right to me and this feels, you know, they start having, you know, their own little navigation system within them [00:10:00] that they can gauge things.

You know, like, no, I, I just don't feel right about this or, yes, that's for me. Right. So it seems like one of the things you do a lot of teaching around is teaching your own inner compass, your own intuition. So what are the, some of the teachings that you do that maybe the audience could start tapping into and playing with?

To start kind of saying, oh, okay, wait a minute. I can, or I do. Or I, okay, first I hear I want to, is the first step. Isn't that the first step for everything? Like, what do I want? Do I want it? So or not? It's pretty simple, right? Yes or no? Yeah. But after we pass the Yes, I want to, because I think that's exciting.

And if you wouldn't be still listening at this point if you didn't want to. So if we want to, what are our next steps? So really, I would say, I mean. Starting to notice just when we get those natural intuitions [00:11:00] coming in and you know, it's helpful to, you know, take a class or, or study a little bit or read about it.

But we all have this, you know, it's really just kind of tuning in to our own heart. That's usually, that's the seed of the intuition is the heart. So we may think it's the head, but it's actually not. Our minds can really get in the way. So it's kind of finding a way to quiet the mind a bit. And focus in on the heart so that we can start to really feel, Hmm, I'm getting a sense, or I'm kind of, this person's coming to mind.

I wonder why and reach out to that person. Or when we're, this is a simple way, driving home from work maybe, or driving the kids to, you know, the doctor's office or, or whatever it is. And when we get that pull of, Hmm, I feel like I should go that way instead of this way today. Mm-hmm. Listening to it.

Mm-hmm. When we listen to it, we'll find we, well, we may find out that we just skipped a whole bunch of traffic [00:12:00] that the other way, you know, would've caused for us. You know, and a lot of times we learn about our intuition by not listening to it. Yeah. You know, like when we get that kind of sick gut feeling, you know, or like that, you know, that response where your stomach feels really tight and it's basically, for me, that means.

Uh, this isn't good for me. Mm-hmm. Or this isn't gonna turn out good, or this is not right. You know, this doesn't feel right. And when I haven't listened to it, I've learned the most, honestly, because I always regret it. I always regret regret it. So that's the kind of the first step is really noticing your intuition.

And then from there, you know, it's really. Feeling where you're drawn. Are you drawn to work with PE people in a healing capacity with your intuition? And if that's the case, I mean, that's where you can go into reiki or you can study shamanic healing or you can, you know, decide to, to learn about [00:13:00] psychic work.

You know, where you can kind of tune in. That's a little bit more in that the mind. Um, or if you decide mediumship, like you really, a lot of people go into mediumship because they miss someone that they've lost. They need to heal, and the best way to heal is to be able to know that those people are still with us.

They haven't left. They're checking in on us all the time, but we just don't have the physical. Connection with them and we, we are so lost without them. So a lot of my students decide to study, you know, they start with the intuition, which is in foundations, and then they move into mediumship, which is kind of through psychic work also.

But it's like they really want to be able to know when their grandmother's visiting 'em. Know what the signs might be. You know that Oh, the, the Robin showed up. Oh, my grandma's here. Right. It's just like, and it brings so much comfort, but also [00:14:00] you continue your relationship with those people even beyond death.

So it's pretty amazing. But it's really what people, again, it's what they wanna do. There are no rules about what, you know, anybody, how far anybody has to go, but intuition, just tapping into that just enriches our lives so much. I highly recommend that for sure. Yeah, the unseen for a lot of people are really, is something that's really hard to grasp.

For them. Yeah. Like, you know, right. Like, prove it. How can you prove it? Right? Yeah. And, and, and it's true. I mean, I think I was one of those people for a long, long time. I think I always felt like I can sense a few things and my mom probably will tell you a few stories where I'm like, call my, call grandpa, something's wrong.

And then she, you know, and I don't know why, honestly at all, but she would, she's like, oh no, I'm just gonna listen to that. And of course it'd be something that she would pick up on, but. [00:15:00] Um, I think the unseen is really, really hard for people to grasp, but I love the way you say, you know, start with your intuition of just like, I should just go this way and go that way.

But then I think the big piece to kind of almost prove it to yourself is reflect back like. What happened when I went that way, or what happened when I chose that? Because that's when I think you start to believe more and start to trust because you actually see results. Right. That you can actually see.

Right, exactly. Yeah. It's really just that. When we listen to it, usually that works out well. I mean, our intuition is guided by our own soul spirit and our connection to the source energy. You know, people call God the divine, the universe, whatever that is. We're all part of that. So we are kind of like a drop of water from the ocean of that energy.

And so we of course, can connect [00:16:00] into that greater knowing. It's, it's just. Part of being human's ability we have, but people have a lot of fear around it because we've seen movies, you know, and then there's a lot of misconceptions. And then there are also people who have, you know. Use this not for good, not for healing, not for, you know, great things that it, I mean, it's just amazing what you can do and how you can heal yourself.

When you start to trust your intuition, start working with that, you know? But there are people who have, you know, given it a bad name really. And so that's where I think a lot of fear comes in. And anything unknown for us mm-hmm. Is kind of fearful. Right. Because we don't know. And so. I advised just maybe just studying it a little bit, maybe just kind of, you know, touch into it.

I know for me, I had a lot of fear. Mm-hmm. Because I was raised to kind of have a lot of fear, so I shut everything down for [00:17:00] a long time, and then I got really sick because it was like I was denying parts of myself that were so natural that. It was like my body was screaming at me to Come on, come back.

Look, something's missing here. You're missing something. Mm-hmm. So, you know, a lot of sensitives that I work with, you know, a lot of them have illness of some sort, and as they start to develop their gifts, changes happen really fast with the body. Yeah. I think when you're not doing what you're actually called for, yes.

Your body will tell you like in a way that's maybe not always so. Great. Right. Like this or something. It's almost like you're running yourself down because you're just, you're almost fighting with yourself. Mm-hmm. Exactly. Yeah. So I have to ask, because you mentioned like what is the biggest misconception that people have about all this work?

Well, I'll tell you So, uh, my own family, [00:18:00] my mom is Southern Baptist, my dad's traditional Roman Catholic. And, um, there's a lot of. Uh, teaching, you know, or at least, you know, my dad was always like, oh, you know, never get a reading from Chris. You know, you tell my mom, never get a reading mom, a Southern Baptist.

She'd be like, I'm praying for you. I don't know where you went wrong. You know, this is, you know, what you're doing is is not okay. And I would be like, mom, it's a gift from God. It's not. I didn't choose it. I definitely did not choose this. It was something, you know, as far as, as far as I've needed to go with it, I didn't, it's a, it's a, it's a challenging road because there's a lot of self-healing involved in keeping clear for people.

But, uh, so I think one of the misconceptions is that it's evil. That it's, it's like, it's a, a skill that somebody develops by, like trading their soul for, it's nothing like that. And so my mother, [00:19:00] for the longest time, I tried to convince her, mom, I'm doing this for good. It's to help people and the healing is amazing and, you know, trust me, I'm a good person.

And then I finally got to the point where I was like, okay. I don't need to convince her anymore. I know what I'm doing is what I was born to do. This is what I'm here for, and people are healing and it's amazing. And so I quit kind of giving her that opening, you know, to talk about it. And then, you know, six months after I made that decision, she called me one day and she's like, Chrissy, you're never gonna believe it.

She's hearing My dad passed three years ago. She hears beeping coming from his side of the bed without her hearing aids in at night. He wakes her up and she has realized, she's like, I think it's, I think it's dad. And I'm like, you're probably right, mom. Like, mm-hmm. Just look at her trying to check in with you.

Like, is it dad? Is it dad? And I was like, I'm not gonna, I don't wanna get into this. But then, you know, yeah. [00:20:00] Like, you're probably right mom. And now she'll, I mean this is a year later and she will be out in public and she'll say, oh, Don's here. 'cause she can hear him, he'll come real close and he makes, makes that beeping noise.

But they have conversations now. Mm-hmm. So she has learned, you know, that it's very natural and she's probably who I got it from, that ability. Yeah. And good for you for doing what aligns with you, even when it's not supported by your family or other people. Yeah. I think that's hard because that's the hardest thing to do.

It is. It is. And I think a lot of times we're called to do that because it's something that. We decided as a soul before we came into our life that we wanted to accomplish in our lives, or we wanted to heal this in our family line, or we wanted to, you know, bring healing in a different way into the family.

Um, we have so much soul wisdom, so I think a lot of times [00:21:00] it's what we're most afraid of, that there's like something there. And if we can grow through the fear and we can face it and deal with it. We expand, like all of a sudden it's like, wow, I never knew my life could be like this before. It's like we free something that was always waiting to be freed within us.

And it's amazing. So if you're a mom, you know, we have women's intuition. Men have it too. But like, you know, I'm sure as parents, you know, most moms use their intuition. Like, oh, I feel like something's wrong with my kiddo. You know, something's not right. You know, we, and when we trust that we're usually right.

So it's, it just, it really just is a, an a potential to have such an amazing expansion in our own lives. Mm-hmm. Yeah, and you're right. As moms, we do see it all the time, right? Because you most likely it's with your child, you know, whether it's for [00:22:00] school or a teacher or doctors or whatever, there's always something that comes up and you're like, Ooh, this doesn't feel right.

You know, I really feel they need to do this. And you usually see those results. So that's a really great way that. I think parents can start playing with it. Even just with how they feel about their kids. Yeah. Yeah. And moms are usually right when it comes to, oh my God, my mom's always right. I don't know.

You try to think, but I swear that woman's always right. Yeah. Scary how much, much we know. I mean, my mom knew when my brother started smoking before there was any sign that he was smoked. When back in the day, you know, we were growing up, so yeah, we just know. Thanks. Yeah. So what's one thing parents can do right now to start implementing?

Or what's one thing you really want them to start [00:23:00] implementing after this podcast? I would hope that people would understand that they are so much more than they know. I mean, a lot of times we grow up, you know, living in a small box of this is who I'm supposed to be, this is who I am, but. We have so much potential within us to be as amazing and brilliant and, you know, gifted in whatever we came here to do.

Um, we would, it would just be shocking to us. And when we start to open up to that, especially within intuition, because it will guide you into that, whatever brings you the most joy. Joy is kind of the, the lure, right? Whatever. Catches our interest or brings us joy. That is what we're meant to do. And so my hope would be that people would, um, commit to themselves in their own intuitive development, like really start to pay attention at least doing that.[00:24:00]

Um. And see how that changes your life, really. And one way to really begin doing that. And I know some people are not gonna wanna hear this because we're moms and we're busy and we've got, you know, so many things going. But meditation is really the best way to begin tuning into ourselves. And for me, when I, you know, I have three kids and when they were all really little and running around and I was like.

Feeling kind of crazy. 'cause sometimes you get like that as a mom or a parent, I finally was like, okay, either I'm gonna mentally break somehow or I've gotta do something for me. Mm-hmm. And so what I started doing was getting up early before anybody else in the house was awake and started meditating.

And I found this piece that, you know, at first I had to listen to guided meditations to kind of know what to do and to kind of learn how to kind of quiet my mind. And after a while I didn't need to do that anymore and I could just meditate on [00:25:00] my own. But that's when you really connect into your own spirit and that's where your intuition is.

So it's like all of a sudden that's like, it's kind of like. Primes the pump for your intuitive development. Like it really starts to connect you in to your own spiritual center, which is brilliant. So those would be my two, my two suggestions for people just, you know, that wanna expand a little bit or do something for themselves.

Mm-hmm. Because I don't think there's anything you could do. Um, that would be better for yourself than taking that time and, yeah. I'm a morning person too, so I get up early. I still do. I mean, I've done it probably. At least since my kids have been like infants, you know, and now they're 19, 16 years old. So yeah, I still get up earlier than they do.

It's always the point earlier than they do. So sometimes it was 4:00 AM right? Sometimes it's 6:00 AM It really depends. It's earlier than people and And I do that too. I [00:26:00] meditate. I also have to say. Another place to quiet your mind? Um, just for busy parents is in the shower. Oh. I feel like the shower, because you're doing like a, a thoughtless activity, your mind is kind of busy a little bit, but like, it's, it's quiet, you know, like you're not thinking about all this stuff.

And all of a sudden, like for me, like the downloads come in, like that's where I get like so creative. I'm like, oh God, I gotta write this down because it happens in the shower. And Yeah, of course. And then by the time I get out, I forget half the stuff, but. But I feel like that's another time. I mean, there's no reason you can take a longer shower and And do it in there.

Yeah, yeah. Maybe nobody will be banging on the door. Maybe they'll give you 10 minutes to yourself and you can, nobody wants to see mama naked, so, you know, no one's bothering me in the shower. For some reason, the toilet people could walk in, but the shower is like a no no. That's traumatizing for them.

Exactly, they'll just kind of stay clear. You have at least maybe 10 minutes to yourself. But there [00:27:00] is something about water that really, it's um, that emotional, you know, energy, water is, uh, a symbol of the emotions, but like it connects into the heart. So there's something about running water that really does kind of get our intuition moving.

So that's exactly it. That makes so much sense that you say that. Yeah. Well, where can the listeners find you and what do you offer? Um, I have a website, christina walter.com and actually I'm starting classes soon, again starting over with the intuitive development classes. So there's a series of five classes for each group of classes, um, that are coming up.

So on the events page. Um, I would think that's the best way to connect with me, but I also offer all different kinds of, you know, events on there that are, you know, people can participate in. A lot of them are donation only, so it's like really, you know, just [00:28:00] kind of being able to dip their toe in and see if things, you know, if see that's a right fit for them or not.

It's good to be able to just try things without having to. Make a huge commitment. Yeah. To fully commit. And you do. I've, I've perused your events and there's so many great events at different levels, and you're right. Some are paid and some are just donate, you know? Great. So that's great. I love that. Yeah.

Well, thank you so much for joining me and sharing your gifts with us and just teaching us how to tap into ours. Yeah. Thank you so much, Lisa. I love that you're doing this. I mean, I think moms especially need a little bit of TLC. We all, you know, we all neglect ourselves a lot of times to take care of our people, but, um, I love that you're doing this.

It's brilliant. So thank you so much for having me here. Thank you for listening to this episode. If you'd like to learn more about what Christina does, just click on the link in the show notes, and until next week, keep carving out time for [00:29:00] yourself and keep putting yourself on top of your to-do list.