Tuesday, June 21, 2011.  The Summer Solstice here in the northern hemisphere; a powerful day from an energetic standpoint, combined with residual energies from the latest eclipse (one of three in the month of June).  It was a beautiful day weather-wise; warm and sunny and breezy.

On Tuesday, June 21, 2011, after eight months of anticipation, I had the good fortune to attend a group reading by acclaimed psychic-medium John Edward, of the television show Crossing Over, with my friends Michael and Ron.  Tickets had been purchased in late October, so have no doubt that there were huge chunks of time during which I didn't even give the upcoming event a blessed thought.  All of the sudden, though, it was here; time to see this respected man live and in person ... And to find out who would be reaching out from the Other Side to make contact with loved ones.

The stage (at the elegant Palace Theatre in Manchester, NH) was set with a black-cushioned bar stool upon which sat a microphone and a couple pieces of paper.  The rest of the set was comprised of myriad black curtains, a valance and sides to hide those who were waiting in the wings.  John entered mid-stage right, wearing non-descript jeans, a casual pullover shirt and sneakers.  He couldn't have presented himself as any less pretentious, in my opinion.  While quietly handsome, he looked the type that wouldn't necessarily garner a second glance on the street ... And I had to wonder if he prefers it that way.

He attended to business first, discussing the envelope that had been made available to us as we approached the theatre entrance; the work of those looking to debunk his abilities.  I liked that he addressed it with forthright humor and even some gratitude.  Business concluded, having armed us with the explanation of this open forum Q & A/reading, he invited questions.

For the majority of two and one-half hours, this man - a husband and father of a son showing signs that he is gifted with similar abilities, much to his chagrin - gave spontaneous readings in the midst of answering some great questions:  Do the energies of the Solstices and Equinoxes affect your readings?  How do you feel after doing a big group reading such as this?  A psychic I went to, who couldn't connect with my [loved one] told me it can take up to a year for a soul to [migrate] to the other side ... ?

It was the readings, though, that provoked gasps and laughter and tears and applause from the packed house. There were no flashing lights or odd sounds; no dramatic play-outs of a spirit's passing; no bells and whistles.  There were "just" predominantly sniper-accurate readings of not only those who stood to ask questions, but spontaneous readings of various people (sometimes whole families) in the theatre.  Sometimes cautionary, sometimes humorous, sometimes heart-wrenching, it was an emotionally-charged roller coaster ride that left many of us - if not most of us - breathless with wonder, filled with hope and, I can guess, alleviated of fears about the unknown of death, in general.

Highlights of the readings included a hilarious shout-out to a woman up in the center mezzanine who was "100% pregnant.  Surprise!"; a woman in orchestra right who was told she had a gynecological issue she was ignoring that needed medical attention before it became a much larger problem (the woman's daughter announced she'd be taking her mother to the doctor the next day); the "potato family" up in the left mezzanine, who responded to John's amused and bemused inquiry ("Umm ... Who up there is the 'potato family?'") with shocked, uproarious laughter; a mother who had lost her daughter in an accident a few short months earlier who received a poignantly personal message that she was okay and was with loved ones.  The variety of readings was such that I think it likely everyone benefited in some way; got something out of them.

As he concluded the event, John had an exercise for all of us.  He had us look ("No, really look; in the eye.") at the people with whom we had come that night.  Then he charged us with expressing our love to those people in whatever way we were comfortable with (I have no problem saying "I love you" and I mean it when I say it).  Then he explained why he had us do that; why he has every audience do that at the end of his events ...

A couple years earlier he had been given a message from the other side to bring an event to its conclusion in that fashion.  Weeks later, he received an e-mail from a woman who had been in the audience, thanking him for what turned out to be a huge gift.  She had gone to the event with her mother, and when John had instructed the audience to convey their love to each other, she had hugged her mother and told her how much she loved her.  That night, her mother died in her sleep.

I can comfortably say that the event with John Edward was worth the price of admission.  I can happily say that I got a lot more out of it than I could possibly have anticipated.  In the end - and on the other side - love is all that matters.