There's More to Life Than This: Healing Messages, Remarkable Stories, and Insight About the Other Side from the Long Island Medium

by Caputo, Theresa

  6

  God and His Humbling Abode

  From the time I was young, I believed in God and knew He lived in Heaven. But a little like George and Louise Jefferson, I imagined His home to be a deluxe apartment in the sky. It wasn’t until I started channeling the deceased, hearing about near-death experiences, and talking to God that I got a very different picture of what it’s like there. In the last chapter, I told you what Spirit says you do on the Other Side, but here, I want to talk about God, prayer, and all the stuff that contributes to making Heaven such an overwhelmingly magnificent place—how it feels, looks, and even the souls of surprise guests that you might bump into when you get there.

  You know by now that I consider myself to be spiritual and have a very strong faith. I don’t think you need to be one or the other. Yes, I talk to dead people, but I also pray and go to church every Sunday, and I give as much of my time and money to my parish and other charities as I can. So what does that make me? Spireligious? I have no idea. Labels aren’t my thing, and I’m also under the impression that God’s just not that into them either. The last time we talked, He said, bottom line, that as long as people believe and have faith in Him, that’s what matters.

  I used to reference God only if people asked about Him. I’ve learned as a medium that clients struggle with religion, particularly after the loss of a loved one, and part of my job is to provide comfort to those who are grieving in a way they can appreciate. You might not want to hear about God, but referring to Him as the source of creation or a powerful energy, and to myself as a “light worker” even, may help take away the intimidation or pressure that can come with organized beliefs. But lately, I’ve actually found that more clients want to know about God and have questions about Him. I think this has to do with a universal change in perspective going on that some have called an “energy shift.” Anyway, I’m always happy to talk about God, because, remember, one reason it took me so long to accept my gift was that I had to figure out how to do this without neglecting my faith. So if more people want to say the G-word, be my guest.

  Though I’m not out to convert anyone, and you won’t find me thumping on a Bible anytime soon, I like telling stories about feeling God’s presence and sharing the messages I get directly from Him. I hope this also helps people trust that my ability comes from a beautiful and divine place. When we first meet, strangers can seem so nervous about seeing a medium or hearing me talk to dead people. What will my church think? What if she’s a witch? First, holy texts from many faiths recognize spiritual gifts like mine in a positive way—especially if they’re used for counseling, healing, teaching, and other moral purposes. Also, there’s good and bad in any profession—incredible doctors who save lives, and sloppy ones who commit malpractice; admirable policemen who uphold laws, and corrupt ones who accept bribes. Mediums can play it the same way. Some channel from God, good Spirit, and do wonderful things with the messages they receive, while others get their information from places I don’t want to know about. But I’m certain that God is my source, and I trust what the souls who walk in His light tell me.

  God 101

  Let’s start with a few basics about God. First, He is peaceful, supportive, nonjudgmental, and protective. He is the creator of all things and infinite, unconditional love. When you die, you will encounter God, but He’s not an old man with a white beard like you see in paintings. God is big energy, similar to how we’re also energy before and after we have bodies, but He’s way more powerful than we’ll ever be (if I surround people, myself, or objects with God’s white light in the physical world, I’m essentially surrounding them with a piece of God). Because God isn’t a person, I don’t think that God is a He, She, or It; but I use masculine pronouns when I talk about God, because it’s the most recognizable way to reference Him. Like God, your departed loved ones also don’t have a sex—none of our souls do when we are in Heaven—but they present themselves to me with human traits, like gender, so that you can recognize them.

  When you cross over, your energy merges with God’s, so you don’t so much “meet” God, as “join” or “unite” with Him. On earth, our souls are part of God’s, but it is easy to feel disconnected from Him because our bodies and choices can be flawed and challenging. But on the Other Side, your souls are literally part of God. Think of it like a Christmas tree—an ornament can be spectacular on its own (us), but also part of a bigger, more majestic whole (God). Spirit has also shown this relationship to me as one giant, fluffy cloud that separates into many smaller ones.

  One God, Many Faiths

  As I’ve said, I feel there is only one God, no matter what your faith is. And though God and religion are typically seen as being intertwined, they really aren’t the same thing. God is a positive, pure, and good entity, and religion is a set of beliefs and practices created to serve and worship God. You can use religion to follow God’s ways, but I don’t feel that God aligns Himself with one faith over another. I love that many religions provide important ethical and spiritual guidance to their communities and encourage charity to those who need it. What I’m not crazy about is how some people think God prefers one religion over another, which, to an extreme degree, has triggered violence, hate, and condemnation between those who claim to be “right” about whose God is The God. It’s our egos that cause us to believe our group or values are the only acceptable ones out there, and that’s not the case. Bloated self-worth doesn’t just shape some religions either; it affects the way we talk about politics, race, and even our favorite sports teams.

  Spirit has never told me that God plays favorites, but they have said there is one God, and we are all united in Him. During the televised memorial for the devastating massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, I was struck by how many of the world’s religions were represented on that stage and thought about how meaningful that must be to God. There were Hebrew chants, references to Jesus, Muslim and Baha’i speakers, and I think I even heard someone refer to God as “Great Spirit.” It was an inclusive approach to all faiths, united under one God, and it helped bring people together when they needed each other the most. We may have our differences, but we are all His children.

  If the name God is too religious for you to embrace, then Spirit says that Higher Power works for Him too. Personally, I don’t care what you call God. Our source of creation is the same entity, no matter what name is attached. If I had to sum up the essence of God and Heaven, I’d say it’s about love and how we’re all connected to each other in our world and the afterlife. God wants us to rediscover a communal feeling of togetherness with Him to help us feel less alone here.

  Are You There, God? It’s Me, Theresa!

  I feel God around me all the time, but I’ve only spoken to Him on a few occasions. One of the most moving conversations we had was when I accepted my gift. I was hemming and hawing over whether it was real, and if I could handle the responsibility of channeling souls for those who were grieving. That’s when my guides brought out the big guns to assure me that being a medium was what I was called to do. They initiated a conversation with God.

  As I channeled the most powerful, calming sensation I’d ever experienced in my life, God basically told me that people were losing faith. They were disappointed with religion, especially those who hid behind it or manipulated its intentions to do immoral or unkind things. Religion was dividing us, rather than bringing us together. He also said that fewer people believed in Him than ever before, and that there needed to be another way to restore faith without preaching, scolding, or knocking on doors. This is where I came in.

  God said that I was to reconnect people with their loved ones who died, help them find healing and embrace life, and by proxy, He hoped that they’d come to realize that there’s more to life than what’s in this one—that is, belief in an afterlife with God. Compared to straight-up dogma or religious proselytizing, he said my channeling would be a newer way to reach people with His messages of love and unity. A
s I describe this effect to you, Chief shows it to me like an applause meter. Right now, there are fewer people “clapping,” which is Chief’s metaphor for turning to God. He wants us to be “clapping” more—believing in, talking to, showing gratitude to, and doing good works for Him.

  When God told me that people have lost faith in Him, it made me realize how fragile our spiritual beliefs really are. If you have a bad experience with a teacher, you don’t immediately lose hope in the whole education system, and if you have a lousy encounter with a doctor, you don’t insist that all medical professionals are crap. No, you find teachers and doctors that you can trust, and over time, they show you that you can depend on them. Yet people will turn entirely away from God very easily, if life lets them down. Believe me, I understand why you might get upset with God when you lose family members or life forces you to make hard choices. My heart goes out to you, and in my own ways, I have been there myself. The physical world is tough and you do the best you can to keep your head above water sometimes. But just because a religion, church, leader, or friend lets you down, you can’t lose faith in the bigger picture of God and all that He is. Not for nothin’, but it’s like you’re chopping off your nose to spite your face.

  So why does God give a rip if you have more faith? Is it for your benefit, or to populate the higher levels of Heaven, or to worship Him more and better? I’ve gotta tell you, the answer is so simple and yet so challenging at the same time. God basically told me that people don’t love and respect each other the way they should, and He’d like us to change that. Not so that He can control us or anything, but so that we can have a better life on earth and get as close to feeling the unconditional love, generosity, and peacefulness of God in our everyday lives as we can. In a nutshell, demonstrating love and compassion will get us back to our most spiritual selves. And I don’t want to put words in God’s mouth, but I feel like He doesn’t want us to have to wait until we’re on the Other Side to feel a little piece of Heaven. Our journey here is hard enough without piling on the additional stress and sadness that we inflict on each other every day.

  On many occasions, Spirit has told me that we’re losing the communal values that keep our souls connected in this world. Small acts like holding the door for others, helping a stranger carry a package, treating people who are different from us as our equals, and checking in on our neighbors can make a huge impact on us and the world in general. God wants us to be generous, kind, grateful, and pay it forward. It’s like when you walk into the grocery store, pissed off at your spouse, and as you leave, the bag rips, your oranges go rolling—it’s a mess. But then a stranger shows up out of nowhere and helps. He rebags your groceries, holds the door, carries everything to the car, and tells a joke that makes you laugh. Your mood lifts, you go home, and you make peace with your family. All this because one person took ten minutes to make your life a little easier.

  In a way, what I think God wants are more angels on earth. He wants to give us one more reason to feel grateful for what we’ve earned and what He’s given to us in the physical world. He wants to make it easier to love and honor ourselves so that we can truly love, honor, and help other people. And wouldn’t it be amazing if it became second nature? I hope we’re on our way. Think about how many natural disasters we’ve had in the past few years—destructive blizzards, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods. I don’t think God’s out to destroy communities so we can pay attention to what matters (we’ve done a lot of this to ourselves by choosing to wreck the environment), but I do think He’s pleased that if something good has to come out of these life-altering events, it’s that we’re forced to rebuild our communities and the relationships in them.

  When God Speaks, Clients Listen

  God has also come through for my clients directly—though one time, He made Himself known in a way that I couldn’t understand at first. I didn’t know anything about the woman I was reading, and she had a quiet demeanor so we didn’t really talk much before. One of the first things I said to her was, “There’s a husband energy here. Did you lose your spouse?” She told me she never married, so I moved on, but this husband figure wouldn’t leave me alone—he even kept showing me a plain, gold wedding band. I passed, and we moved on to other messages, including how she has a spiritual gift like mine. Then during the last fifteen minutes of her reading, I felt a tremendous sense of peace and saw the overwhelming white light with golden edges that always bowls me over.

  “Call me crazy, but I feel God is present,” I said. I felt different from when I channel a normal husband energy; it felt higher than your loved ones, higher than a guide or angel. God said to tell her, “Thank you for doing my work.” The woman thanked me for the reading, and I didn’t think about it too much after that. Cut to a few months later, and I was about to read another client when she said, “I heard you gave Sister Mary Catherine the most amazing reading.” I was like, Sister Mary who? Apparently, the first woman was a nun—with psychic abilities, no less—but more than anything, the husband energy now made sense! At first, it didn’t feel like God because Spirit makes me feel the bond that the person shares with the soul, but nuns believe they are married to Christ. Plus, He showed me the wedding band. But when we didn’t connect with that, God made Himself a lot more obvious! Sheesh, talk about a blond moment on my part.

  For as much as God’s making the most of my life here, none of it is about me. This is about you and Him. I may have fun with my image—the hair, the nails, the bling—but I am who I am, and all God cares about is that I get His point across. I consider what I do to be God’s work, and I know I’m doing it right when I help restore the faith that He’s told me has diminished. Consider the time I read a young man who lost his dad, whose soul told me he loved to sing and was very religious when he was in the physical world. The man validated this and then said, “I used to sing too. But the day my dad died, I stopped.” During the reading, Dad’s soul said he was so proud of his son for following in his footsteps by joining the army. I sensed that the man’s heart softened with every word. As we said good-bye, I thought, If this kid suddenly belts out “Jesus Loves Me,” I’ll poop myself. Seconds later, he sang for the first time in seven years; it was the hymn “His Eye Is on the Sparrow.” His faith was restored, and it sounded mighty. I’m glad that the SOS from Heaven helped get him there! As a synchronicity side note, I’m a vocal advocate for supporting the work of our American troops, so I decided not to charge the man for our session. On his drive home, he got a flat tire. He was able to use the money he’d saved to help buy a new one. I think God had a hand in that one!

  What’s a Soul Like Yours Doing Outside a Body Like This?

  I love stories about people who’ve had near-death and out-of-body experiences that took them to Heaven and back. The main difference is that NDEs usually happen during a traumatic event or surgery, and out-of-body experiences can occur when you’re sleeping, meditating, daydreaming—basically in an altered state of consciousness.

  I’ve found that NDE stories are rather consistent for such a rare occurrence. Most involve going through a tunnel, gravitating toward white light, and seeing loved ones who’ve already passed. Some people’s souls are immediately enveloped in golden radiance. Others are guided to a brilliantly lit hall and feel total, absolute love. I’ve heard about visiting higher dimensions, with intelligence way beyond ours. There are also souls who get a tour of the afterlife, while some don’t get very far at all but encounter divine Spirit right away. Pat met a woman who had an NDE in her twenties as her body was experiencing complete organ failure. She said her soul entered a pitch-black space at first and then saw a window. Outside it was a male and female. The man appeared to be a biblical figure based on his appearance, dressed as he was in a robe and with a long beard. The female spirit was wearing a headscarf and seemed Eastern European. The woman didn’t recognize either figure, but Pat’s guess was that they were her guides. The woman then felt herself being drawn to the light on t
he other side of the window. Just as she approached it, she woke up.

  Despite the hair-raising name, a near-death experience is always positive and life-affirming. A lot of times the person is pronounced dead until the soul returns, and it’s deemed a miracle. When Spirit tells these souls that they have to return to their bodies, they’re often disappointed. Can you blame them? Listen, God created a wonderful world for us here on earth, but in Heaven, it’s perfection. Like miracles, I also think near-death experiences occur so that we can come back and teach others about them in the physical world. An NDE can also be a wake-up call to reevaluate your life and make changes. I’ve never had a near-death experience myself, but during readings, I’ve had Spirit tell me when a person has. A lot of times this happens when the clients doubt whether they really visited Heaven, and I’m meant to assure them that they did, and that they’re not bananas.

  Some people can have out-of-body experiences without severe harm to their health. This happened to Gram a few times, though she never made it all the way to Heaven. When Gram was pregnant with my mom, she remembered fainting from anemia and seeing her grandmother who’d died. She was about to go to her, but she heard her mom calling her name and said to her grandma, “I gotta go! My mom’s calling!”—and she came to. Many years later, Gram was lying on the sofa and felt her soul rise out of her body. When she told my mom about it, Mom said she could have had an out-of-body experience like astral projection, where the soul separates from the physical body and travels around. Shortly after, Gram was napping and felt like she was coming out of her body, this time from her back, and recognized what was happening. “Whoa, where do you think you’re going?” she said to herself. With that, everything went back to normal.