REGINA - Linda Mullen has been working as a medium for over 10 years now. She currently does work in Fort Qu'Appelle, helping people speak to their loved ones who have moved on.
Mullen was not always comfortable hearing spirits, feeling scared and even calling it "a curse."
She recalled hearing spirits for the time when she was in her 20s, trying to overcome some recent developments in her life by meditating to relieve her stress.
By meditating, Mullen said she "opened up a whole world of spirits [and] energy." Mullen was struggling in her daily life after hearing spirits. "It was hard for me to go out [and] be amongst people because I felt so much, I heard so much, I saw so much."
It was not until Mullen’s husband came along and told her "to accept who I was. It’s [hearing spirits] was just part of who I was," said Mullen.
Hearing her husband's words, Mullen accepted her ability, calling it a gift. What got Mullen to start doing readings was seeing her husband's mother, who she never met, in their living room. Mullen spoke the few words her husband's mother said, and her husband described it "as beautiful."
So, she started travelling across the country to do readings because Mullen wanted to bring closure to her clients who couldn’t get those final few words to their relatives before they passed on.
Mullen starts a reading by rubbing her hands to focus. She starts talking as spirits come through, and the spirit gives her information like names, dates or special occasions. This helps her clients know which past relative they're talking to.
Her sessions typically run around 45 minutes, and she described her garbage can as being "full of kleenexes because there’s a lot of crying going on in my office. Sometimes its happy tears, sometimes it’s tears of sadness."
Mullen said her readings are "a good way to get healing. It’s a good way to get closure." She added, "when people pass [from this world], it can be very tragic. Families do not [always] get [the chance] to say goodbye [to their loved ones]. So when they come through, I've often had clients say, you know, it's like sitting down and having a conversation with my husband or my child."
She added, "A lot of the families are left in guilt. They're left with [thoughts like], I should have said this. I wish I could have done that. Why didn't I? A lot of questions. So when that spirit comes through, it brings them peace, knowing that sometimes things are just meant to be. They couldn't do anything. They couldn't stop what had happened."
She pointed out the toll her work puts on her mentally. After working for four hours during the day, Mullen is drained afterwards. Mullen described the work a medium does as "very emotional" as she deals with grief from her clients.
After travelling to do readings, Mullen moved to Fort Qu'Appelle. She decided to open a store and hung a shingle that read 'Linda Mullen Medium.' That was when Mullen’s career as a medium took off.
Mullen said the diverse community of Fort Qu'Appelle was excited to have a medium in the area.
Through her time working as a medium, Mullen recalled one client who stood out to her. Mullen was at a local expo when a girl came into her booth. Mullen described the girl as "a non-believer" in mediums. The girl lost her parents, so Mullen connected the girl with both of them.
After being able to hear the words of her parents again, the girl told Mullen, "I lifted off 12 years of depression [from the reading]. Mullen added "she was young when her parents died. She was in her 20s when her parents died. So she always really sticks in my mind."
The girl eventually brought Mullen to her friend's house to do readings. Her friends were also non-believers of Mullen’s work.
When talking about those who do not believe in her work, Mullen understands everyone has their own beliefs and won’t convince a person of what they think.
People doubted Mullen could even make a career out of being a medium, telling her, "you’ll never make a living out of this." Since then, Mullen has been a medium for 13 years.
While Mullen would not mind her career expanding, she is happy doing her current one-on-one sessions and family sessions.
She also does workshops with her clients, one being an empowerment workshop. Mullen takes a small group and teaches them how to tune in with spirits and how to connect. The clients will go through breathing exercises and understand how to stay in the present. Mullen will also teach her clients what seeing a certain image means, whether it’s an ocean or a landscape.
Mullen believes anyone can connect with spirits, especially if they love doing it.
