Life often introduces us to individuals whose journeys into the spiritual realm illuminate profound truths about our existence. Today, we welcome James Van Praagh, a celebrated medium and spiritual teacher whose work has touched countless lives. James Van Praagh’s experiences and insights into the afterlife provide a bridge between the physical and spiritual worlds, offering hope, healing, and a deeper understanding of our interconnectedness.
From an early age, James was aware of his unique abilities, experiencing visions and communications from the spirit world. However, it wasn’t until his twenties that he fully embraced his gift. “I began to see spirits and hear their messages clearly,” he recalls, describing his initial encounters with the other side. These experiences were both illuminating and challenging, as they required him to navigate the skepticism and fear often associated with mediumship.
James’s journey into mediumship was marked by a deep commitment to integrity and responsibility. He emphasizes the importance of these qualities in his work, especially given the profound impact his messages can have on people’s lives. “When you do this work, you have a responsibility to people’s lives,” he explains. This sense of duty has guided James throughout his career, ensuring that his practice remains grounded in compassion and authenticity.
A significant theme in James’s teachings is the idea that our earthly experiences are opportunities for growth and transformation. He describes life as a “school for the soul,” where we encounter various lessons designed to help us evolve. “We come back here to learn and to grow,” he says, underscoring the importance of embracing both the joyous and challenging aspects of our journeys. This perspective helps individuals find meaning in their experiences and encourages them to view hardships as catalysts for spiritual growth.
SPIRITUAL TAKEAWAYS
- Life as a School for the Soul: James emphasizes that our earthly experiences are designed to teach us valuable lessons. By viewing life as a school for the soul, we can embrace both the highs and lows as opportunities for growth and transformation.
- Interconnectedness of All Life: One of James’s core messages is that we are all interconnected. Our thoughts, actions, and energies affect not only ourselves but also those around us. Recognizing this interconnectedness fosters greater compassion and responsibility in our interactions.
- The Power of Compassion and Kindness: James encourages us to approach life with compassion and kindness. These qualities not only uplift others but also elevate our own spiritual journey, helping us to align more closely with our true selves.
James also speaks about the importance of self-awareness and the role it plays in our spiritual development. He advises individuals to take time for introspection and to cultivate a deeper connection with their inner selves. “Know who you are,” he urges. “By understanding and honoring your true self, you can navigate life with greater clarity and purpose.” This self-awareness is essential for personal growth and for maintaining balance in the face of life’s challenges.
In discussing the broader implications of his work, James touches on the significance of collective consciousness and the need for global awakening. He believes that as more people become aware of their spiritual nature and interconnectedness, we can create a more compassionate and harmonious world. “Humanity is going through a great shift,” he notes. “By raising our individual vibrations, we contribute to the collective upliftment of humanity.”
James’s journey and teachings offer a powerful reminder of the potential for transformation that lies within each of us. By embracing our true selves, recognizing our interconnectedness, and approaching life with compassion and kindness, we can navigate our journeys with greater purpose and fulfillment.
Please enjoy my conversation with James Van Praagh.
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Follow Along with the Transcript – Episode 373
James Van Praagh 0:00
It really comes down to I feel when anything's extremism, whether whatever it is politics or whatever and extreme in any way. It's a bad thing. I think things need to be balanced and moderate, because any extreme is not good. No, no, it closes things off. Because the mind of closer from learning, we've got to be open minded. So in some strange ways, through conflict, through upsets, we learn, we grow, we understand that this is not the way things should be. And hopefully, we'll get that message, which is like, human life is precious, and no matter where it is, and no matter if it's on a battlefield, or in a political courtroom, wherever it might be. Lifes are precious, and we gotta realize that
Alex Ferrari 0:40
I'd like to welcome back to the show returning champion, James Van Praagh. How you doing James?
James Van Praagh 0:56
Champion, thank you, because of you. I was saying before the show started, that you are the best hosts that interview have had in the past several years, because you're so into it. And you're have knowledge and wisdom about it, and education. And it's, it really is wonderful to talk to someone that understands this world.
Alex Ferrari 1:15
Oh, my, you know what, I really appreciate that. And that means a lot coming from someone like you who's who has who has a volume of knowledge and experience in this space as well. I think we're both trying to bring some light into the world. So I do truly, truly appreciate that, my friend. Yeah. And you will be talking about before we started is our last conversation. You know, caught a little fire. People really enjoy.
James Van Praagh 1:38
Yeah, I did a tour in Europe and people coming up to me and every different country I was at and they said, I heard when next level soul the podcast, that was really great. And you now it's great. And a lot of people so yeah, I bet 20 People come up to me during that tour in different places. And just saying to me, Oh, I just heard your pipe. And of course, I just do these things. I don't know where they end up, of course. But yeah, a lot of people are hearing your your podcasts all over the world, which is fantastic.
Alex Ferrari 2:01
That's, that's amazing. Like, just like you I just do these, I don't know where they end up either they are, they are tools of the universe to use as they wish is basically whoever needs to hear the conversation at the time they need to hear it. It's just my job to put it out there into the world. And whatever happens to it is great. So. So James, first things I wanted to talk about in this conversation is I keep getting contacted by my my, my tribe, if you will, about what is happening overseas, the violence, the wars, the conflicts that are going on. And people you know, we on the show, always talking about the humanity's great shift, our consciousness is rising, all of these kinds of things. And that is all true. And I think both things kind of have to happen at the same time. From my personal point of view. Can you talk a little bit about from your point of view, from your experience in your connection that I don't have to the other side? Why this is all happening right now?
James Van Praagh 2:58
Well, it's a good question. It's a hard question in some respects, because from a spiritual point of view, gotta remember that this earth school is it's a school for the souls for the souls. It's a school for us to grow and expand. And we come back here from and support Janelle, we all come back her ultimate levels of souls. So whether it's a baby soul that comes back, who thinks that power and money and war is everything, or you have, you know, advanced postgraduate souls who are light workers and healers and trying to bring love and compassion. And then you have, of course, those middle souls who are just still trying to figure things out. So when you have a space like that, or going to school like that, you will inevitably will create different scenarios and different dramas, different things to play out and to work out. So it's all about growth and evolution and transformation. And not only is it personal transformation, for each one of our souls here, this is a place to learn and to grow. And to demonstrate compassion, understanding, patience, in all different ways. Yeah. And not only for us as a one individual soul, but a soul group and also this karma to which is personal karma, that our country karma, our world karma, obviously, the these places of conflict right now have their own karma. So it's trying to work those things out. It's no easy answer, because there's so many aspects involved here. And I think that it really comes down to I feel when anything's extremism, whether whatever it is politics, or whatever, and extreme in any way. It's a bad thing. I think things need to be balanced and moderate, because anything extreme is not good. No, no, it closes things off closes the mind of closer from learning. We got to be open minded. So in some strange ways, through conflict through upsets, we learn we grow, we understand that this is not the way things should be. And hopefully we'll get that message which is like, human life is precious, and no matter where it is, and no matter if it's on a battlefield or in a play courtroom, wherever it might be lifes are precious. And we got to realize that and we also got to realize, Alex and I think it's, I really think the bigger picture is we've got to realize that we're all connected, that we're not separate. That big illusion we have in this three dimensional world is that we're separate. We're not, we're all all together. That's the big, you know, can see the the cloak, you know, are called the Valley of forgetfulness, we come back here that things are just separate from one another. And they're not, they're actually together. So the interesting thing is what one does, whether it's thought words, an action affects another person. It affects all of us, it affects every single one of us. And that's why this human level, we're all affected by this, we feel it because within our being, it's part of us as well. And we want to do the best we can. So it's, it's a playground here, it's trying to do the best we can. And I often people ask me, what can they do? And I said, Well, in order to change the macrocosm, you first got to change the microcosm, we got to change what's going on in your own life conflicts in your own world, people in your own world. And I can say this to you, because we've proven it, you and I prove it, that what you do the microcosm will affect the macrocosm. So even the podcast here will go out to many, many, many people. And in some subtle levels, it will affect them in some way, maybe in a conscious way they add to that level, and help them to act accordingly. I think it forces people to go back inside themselves and to ask questions, like what is going on with this world? What's going on with me in this world, okay to excuse me, having to be more compassionate myself my own personal life. So that's his number questions. But its transformation. It's growth, it's change. And it's it's, I mean, it's horrible thing to see. But I also think this, there's no other place around that would do this. So they're the school and the galaxies that I know of, yet has this type of freewill. This type of, you know, different levels of soul. Of course, it couldn't be I might be limited my, what I'm aware of. But this is the earth School is one where conflicts play out. We grow the most, in many ways. Yeah. And I think that, I think to me, once you learn something, you can't unlearn it. So for instance, I say, you know, when your kid you learned that a red lightning, you can't cross the street, we've learned that one. And we don't have to, we don't unlearn things we learn and we progress. So there's never degress as a progress. So I hopefully this was a human kind, we're gonna progress from this. And from conflict, the conflict, I don't know where you felt. But when I first started these conflicts in the world, the first thought I had, the first feeling I sensed was, it feels so archaic, it feels so old, this way of battles like that it feels like so long ago, it doesn't belong here anymore. We've reached a different level of awareness or consciousness. And like, it seems so backwards to me. What do you think?
Alex Ferrari 7:40
I agree, I agree with you. 100%. When I started when I started seeing what was happening over and on the other side of the world, it I just said to myself, I'm like this, really? Like that was the really is this happening still, like, you know, some of those conflicts are 1000s of years old, I'm like, Are you really is this the song we're still playing, you know, after all these years, like it's, but I do think that in order for the wound to heal, it needs to be brought out into the light, and you need to dig it out of the dirt, if you will. And I saw that with, with the last 10 years here in the States, where, you know, the concept that racism has always been here, in the United States, it's always been here. But it was very quiet, it was very subtle, it was very, like muffled, you would hear it in the corner, you would hear it in a party, you wouldn't walk into your, into your place of business, wearing a t shirt stating something racist, or, you know, putting it out on on your arm in now, when in the last decade, I don't know about you, in the 80s, you would have never heard the stuff that is being said, now publicly on air, things are being said. But in order for it to heal, it needs to come out and be shown to the light to be everyone's like, this is not who we want to be anymore.
James Van Praagh 9:01
It's true. It's the first step of healing as awareness. So you got to bring up that luck and to the surface to look at it, to be aware of it and to be healed. And I think it goes hand in hand with and I often say this every day to friends of mine, you know, this new world, I don't get it. I'm actually writing a book right now about the old world, the new world. And I think a lot of it plays a factor as to social media a big deal of it. I think that people feel they have to have other 15 minutes of fame. So whether social media, whether they're woke, whatever, that all means a political stuff. It's just everybody wants to be validated, I think in some way, and I think social media started doing that. And influencers which I still don't get but influencers they want to be influenced. They want to be validated. They want to be seen. And you and I grew up with and have that sort of thing to have social media. And it's just seems like you can just go on your bandwagon. Just spout things out with no sense of integrity and responsibility. And that's really we got to be responsible for our words and what we put out there. And I think again, extremism is Not good. I think everybody should have, I just get kind of tired of the woke thing and like, we got to do this and this and politically correct, like, let's just treat each other as human beings because it's like, that's what it's about, you know, don't get some extra people off. We're all together on Section people.
Alex Ferrari 10:14
I, I agree with you 100%. And James, I think, too, that this whole social media phenomenon, you know, I was there when Facebook was still just barely, I was there with MySpace for God's sakes. You kidding, I was at AOL, CompuServe and Earthlink. All that kind of stuff. Prodigy. But, ya know, rap. I'm going really back. But but specifically when social media started coming in with MySpace and, and Twitter and Facebook, and all these kinds of things. The the need for this attention, I do think is coming in. And it's continuously. It's been growing. But I think people are starting to burn out. I think this generation that's going through this will have, I think, by the time they're my age and your age, I don't think that influencers of today, the 20 year old today, in 40 years is going to be still like chasing the influencer bandwagon when they're 16. And I think that generation is, I think humanity needs to go through this. Because it's all ego, it's ego, it's ego, it's fear. It's like I want to be validated. It's all fear based, it's all fake. But we need to kind of go through all of this, in order to go away from it. And I'll point out something that's, I think people don't really realize is that we are probably in the biggest peacetime of humanity. Truly, that we've been in the last 5000 to 7000 years. I know it's hard for a lot of people see it, because if you just watch the news, the world's coming to an end. But that's not the truth. The truth is, there's a lot more good, a lot more good things happening. You know, people are fed more people are drinking more there is there is less violence per capita in the world. And there was 100 years ago. You know, I remember that, if you just stick here in the US, a wild wild west, people just walk around shooting people for no reason. Like, you know, in the Roman times, people would just slice you up, you know, like, in England English. You know, the not that Joust, that that's another one. But dual pay the guns at Adan, you know, and the duel and all that kind stuff. These things were common practice. We're now we look at them, like that's barbaric and burning witches at the stake. What?
James Van Praagh 12:32
Yeah, it's interesting, because I'm thinking of a spiritual point of view, from a seller's point of view, if you will, yeah, going through these things in the past, what 25 years, I guess, would be your 20 years. And this whole social media and this out crying and this influential, I often wonder if it's them wanting to be obscene, wanting to be acknowledged. And I think it's there's greatness with their awareness. When there's an awareness out there, it's great. But again, there's a responsibility. And if it can be used in a way where that awareness is that again, we're connected, that our words mean something, you know, thoughts or things, and from an energetic point of view, you know, clairvoyantly, I will see people's thoughts when they throw a thought. Remember, thoughts are like bullets, it goes to the target when you're thinking of someone you thinking, but that thought, it goes right to them. Well, that's worry, energy, love, energy, fear, energy. And I think a lot of people, and what I would like to do, and I'm sure you're with me here is open them up to the awareness that you're responsible for your thoughts, your words, your deeds, you're responsible for each other, in this little environment of yours, your friends, and the world. And what you put out there into the world stays out there. My favorite friend, my favorite person I've known for a long time who watch her show Judge Judy, and one of the things she used to say in the beginning was shows, you know that that internet thing, you put stuff out there, and it's gone forever, it's there forever. And it's really true. And I wish people would have a sense of more responsibility when they say things or do things because it's really responsible for that energy going out to the universe, not only the person but the universe. And I remember when I did the show, The Ghost Whisperer, and it was I had to educate people, CBS and people, the production company, because it said, you know, they wanted to have this show opening very scary and fearful which I get that get everybody into the show. And that was fun. Lo and Jennifer Love you as cleavage. Oh guy get that what the truck drivers, okay, fine, but the truck drivers, and we got him we got the demo. I was like, Wow, that really was it was really a thing. And it ended up being the number one show on Friday nights for five years. But I remember going through and had a little bit of a arguments or disagreements are and I'd educate them by saying, you know, I'm okay with opening up the show with the fear because, you know, you're putting this thing out there. And I have a degree in broadcasting, by the way. So I remember reading Marshall McLuhan and all that, all of that. And I said to them, Listen, what you put out, and whether it's movies, television, computer, what it shows, whatever you podcast, there's responsibility because when you're putting that fear energy out there that's gonna stay out in this in the atmosphere, because go out there, and I said, I will to the show, but the show must end on a loving energy, a healing and loving energy. That is what you want to leave your audience with in the universe, you do not want to live with fear out there, because it's a real thing. And I think that people out there, those are the only souls all of us pick up on those sprinkles of fear, or love. And I think that some of that gets in us and we start living in that fear energy. And that's when maybe some conflict started, we're more apt to be in those conflicts or fear world limitations. So there's something to that there's got to be responsibility for what's going out into the universe. Well,
Alex Ferrari 15:37
I do believe that people who are putting stuff out like that today, in in 10, or 15, or 20 years, they can look back and go, Oh, my God, because I don't know about you didn't, when I was 20, I was not perfect. When I was a teenager, I was not perfect. And I get on my knees and pray to God every day and say thank you, for them not being any social media out at the time that I was being I was in high school, or I was in college, because you know, your 20s in your late teens in your early 20s. And even into your 30s you're a knucklehead, and you do knucklehead stuff. And now that knucklehead isms are being broadcast, and they live out that you can't really pull them off anymore for this new generation. So I think that is the lesson that it will take time to learn for people moving forward. But it is going to be something that is going to bite, it's already been people in the back and he thinks that's a tweet from 10 years ago, gets them canceled, or get them thrown off of a job or something like that, when they were maybe younger, it's already starting to happen. And people are starting to become more aware of it, I think,
James Van Praagh 16:46
I hope so I lately noticing someone on the internet on Netflix, there's some organizations of people that are using some of those spirituality sensing of, you know, knowledge or wisdom take a little bit of power, and they get the ego involved. And they start doing things irresponsibly, and
Alex Ferrari 17:06
Stop it no, that's not possible. Really people using the spiritual space. have ego come on James stop it.
James Van Praagh 17:12
Yeah, it's it's very interesting watching because I think many of them on a spiritual bypass, they want to be spiritual, but they don't want a lot of people don't wanna do the work. They got to just get spiritual bypass and get there. And they don't want to do the process. They don't want to live with it. They don't know who they are. They don't know who they are first. And I always feel like that. What good are you if you don't know who you are? How can you be, I don't know, authentic, if you don't have that sense of who you are, as a human as a soul, and how you interact with humans, other humans, instead of just doing this, oh, no spiritual bypassing, oh, I'm a guru or whatever. It's just so weird to me, because people don't want to do the work.
Alex Ferrari 17:47
It's not weird to me at all. Because both you and I come from Hollywood have experienced there. So I understand that like, I want to, we live Hollywood is a place where you live with the mask on. And you can't you can't live without that mask. And people want to throw that mask on. Because they see power, they see prestige. So they want to be a yogi, but they really don't want to do the work. Or they want to be a spiritual master, but they really don't want to do the work. It's kind of like we all you know, I would like to have Brad Pitt six pack, and eat in and out every day. But that's just not the way the world works. You know, you have to work at your physical body, your mental state, your spiritual state, it takes work, it takes years. There's a reason why these masters in India, these gurus, and these Ascended Masters and masters who are walking the earth today, they decades, working on decades and decades working on this to the point where they can elevate their energy, their vibration, their frequency to such a level that people are like, but I want that I'm like, yeah, we'll get in line. It's not gonna happen overnight. You're not gonna just be born a prodigy. That's not a thing. Even Even people like Yogananda who were quote unquote, born into they were kind of a spiritual prodigy, no question. He had decades of work on him to the point where he went when he went to his guru dish. Well, it took him nine years at the ashram, just just just brushing the floor, sweeping the floor. And he's like, man, he just destroyed he needed to break the ego down, break the ego down, break the ego down, it took them that long to finally break the egos when you come in, and you're Michael Jordan of spirituality. You need someone who's a little bit bigger than you to come down and go, you're calm down there. You can make a three pointer, but do it this way. So it's interesting.
James Van Praagh 19:37
Yeah, it's interesting to watch. It's just so interesting. For me, it's always been the I've always lived by the golden rule, treat others as you want to be treated. And again, what I'm putting out to someone else because that's real stuff. And I always go based upon my work that I've done, you know, we pass over, there's a life review. And we all have this life review where we see our whole experience of our lifetime fleeting flashes, and We see those most incredible experiences where we did something or said something on to the other person. And we experienced it from their point of view, 10 times 20 times 30 times stronger. So I will say, well, people knew that they'd be much more responsible for the way they act on people with people and say things that people because God asked me to pass over in the spirit world, there's no time. And all you have those memories of their experiences, and you have to live them over and over again. And you know, on this earth world, it's really hard. We say, some of someone we feel oh, my student has said that they can go back and say, I'm sorry. But imagine when there's no time you don't have that connect to the physical, and we live those mental things over and over again in your head. And I wish people in the world would get that that sense of responsibility. So if they knew that maybe they would act differently maybe\
There's no question there's no question I think if if if the conflicts around the world if the people in those conflicts understood some of the spiritual ideas and concepts that we're talking about,
Even though the beliefs of Gods the religions as a higher force, whatever we would name want to put on that. I mean, that sometimes we're finding that we got to believe that higher force or we're all or that that energy, so it's a slap in the that force.
Alex Ferrari 21:05
But But James, it's this thing about my god is better than your god, my god is the only way? You know, it's a fear based God. That's why I always joke around. I'm like, Yeah, you remember the yogi crusades when the yogi's went across Europe, saying you must believe in Buddha or in in Krishna? Like that didn't happen. That wasn't right. That's right. For everybody listening. There was no yoga crusades. I just wanted you to know. That's so. So Christian. Yeah, same course. There was a I think their. I heard there was one of those I heard there was a couple of I think we're probably in that. Yeah. Yeah. And then I think, in Jesus, I think on the on the Mount, he said, Please, everybody kill in my name. But it didn't make any sense. Now, one question I get asked all about, and I think this kind of leads into what we've been talking about with these conflicts is because there are a lot of innocence in these conflicts happening right now and conflicts around the world, in even the mass violence that is happening here in the States. You know, there's so much of that going on, there's innocence. The question I asked is why the bad things happen to good people?
James Van Praagh 22:15
Well, good question. And I can only say what I know is that souls are aware of what's going to happen before the incarnation. So there are souls that know what their lifetime is going to be involved with. And there might be some, you know, I think I'll want another slide Passover, but I do think there are souls groups of souls and there are many, many souls, and sometimes they will come into a lifetime and we'll call them sacrifice themselves or, and might be advanced souls who go through that. I was watching the the babies in the in the Gaza thing, they were this poor babies that couldn't get the help. And I was like, Well, what have those souls, and I just got the sense, again, that they've chosen this way that things have happened in accident, there are no accidents, I think it's all divine involvement. And I think that, from our point of view of us either humans level, we can understand all of it. But I really do believe that there are certain groups of souls that come into, if we're gonna say, sacrifice, put those out there, then they are, in essence, per se. But they're also I think, sometimes a very spiritually evolved human view of all beings. I think World War Two, a lot of the world war two people that were called victims, but I think they were very wise, advanced souls, many advanced souls take on the hard lessons, many, many events, the hardest lessons we have for us are usually reserved for the advanced souls, postgraduate souls, and those take on those conflicts, those take on, they work with the human conflicts, and they will many times if you will sacrifice yourself. I don't know, it's, you know, when you realize in two years, you never, there's no death, and you pass over the side, and you want to bring, you have to do something to bring attention to the human growth, if you will. Sometimes we do that. So I don't know what you say innocence in one respect, but also, I think sometimes they're more advanced souls and we are
Alex Ferrari 24:01
I use innocence from from the point of view of the human. Yeah, that's right. You mean, just from the physical point of view? You know, it is it's horrified. But on a spiritual point of view, it's difficult and, and people listening, who have had things happen to them or had peoples happen to their loved ones. Look, you and I, it could be very spiritually enlightened James. But if something happens to somebody you love, it's gonna harm you. It's a human experience. Yeah. And we're gonna, we're gonna, we're gonna feel it, and we're gonna, we're gonna get angry, and we're gonna and we're going to be tested and we're going to be pushed in many, many ways. There's no
James Van Praagh 24:36
Tested no good word tested. Yes. We're always tested and that's exactly right. I agree with you it's and the human experience. We have to feel we've chose to come back and feel these things and integration of the emotional, mental, spiritual, physical, here is a this is a playground, this is the place we're going to feel the human aspects. And that is a real part of us. We got to honor that.
Alex Ferrari 24:56
Without without question. Now there is something that's also happening and from the conflicts that are happening overseas here in the States, and I think also in Europe as well, is that there seems to be an amping up of hate and division going on, what advice do you have, for individuals or guidance to? How can we overcome this amping up of hate and division? Again, it's bringing this stuff out of the muck, again, we're bringing all this stuff out again, again, a song that we've heard before hate and division. I mean, there's not a new song here. It's an old song, but has been amped up again, for us to kind of just go enough. I think it's enough is enough. This is ridiculous.
James Van Praagh 25:39
Yeah, it said sense of separateness, you know, there was separate again, I'm gonna repeat that the two big solution, we have this three dimensional world, one is death, there is no such thing as death, and the others that were separate from another, but we're not. But it's so interesting, as we've just mentioned, is we have to be separate because we have our own one, my God is better than your God and all the separateness which shouldn't be. And I think people have to look into what do you want to call them, their enemies or foes, and see the commonality, I think that God and His wondrous way, has enlightened every single soul on this earth. And I think every single soul is unique. And they have that, that, that it's that diversity, it's a difference. I think that God shows up in the differences. And I think we have to honor the differences in that person's makeup, you know, maybe that you know, agree with everything, but we want to honor their point of view or their way of looking at things. And it can't be just one way, there's got to be a multiple, multiple ways of looking at all these different souls who have different beliefs, we're going to honor all that one isn't better than the other one. It's just who they are. But if we can find that, that God energy, that creative engine, every single person, that that beautiful being and each person, that God like, nice person, and maybe we can behave a little differently and respect that, you know, it's that thing of the ego going back to the ego, the ego is so important. I gotta own this, I gotta control this. Nothing to do with that. We're really a oneness. We're not separate or one. So we've got to find that oneness. And one is O N E, omnipresent, nurturing energy. That's what love to me is Love is one omnipresent, nurturing energy. That's beautiful. That's beautiful. Yeah, I've always said that love is one.
Alex Ferrari 27:15
This, these older religions, who are saying that we are the only way, which on a marketing standpoint, makes all the sense in the world. I mean, no, I mean, and all seriousness, like if you said, hey, you know, we're one of many, you could choose this one, you could choose the other one. In the olden times, you couldn't do anything like that. I needed to control the large groups I needed to, you're the only one that the group over there, they're gonna they're gonna rape and pillage. We're the way they're the infidels, all that kind of stuff. And all of all these major older religions. I think that that's one of the reasons why a lot of these religions are losing followers by the millions, every year because it's just, it doesn't ring true anymore. And they're still stuck to that, that old, that old narrative, that old song, that old story, and we're like that, it
James Van Praagh 28:06
Mindset, right the old mindset. And something really interesting to point out Alex is, as I've watched this last, I'm a YouTuber, I'm not I do YouTube and watch television, YouTube, because it has everything I want, as watching is fascinating. That 50 Top Christian people, you know, the Christian ministers and all that. It's very interesting, because as I watch this, and like, okay, and people are really into that, that's fine. But I often want to say it's always that sense of the god power, we take them, we don't take responsibility. We blame it on a religion or God with you have to act this way. Because God will get bring us to hell or battle this nun in and out, don't put it you need to take responsibility for your own actions, your own thoughts, you know, maybe you are God, don't put God in something else. And, you know, it's just, it's just so weird that people just get away from who they are. And and they put this religion which is this? I don't know, I don't personally, I believe in God and clouds and all that I don't get that I think we're all that wonderful force. But I see over and over again, people are trying to Jesus comes to me and God, this God, it's like, wait a minute, let's just take responsibility for ourselves. Don't place it onto a religion, because I don't think we get misguided.
Alex Ferrari 29:12
Right! And then again, a lot of these older, these older philosophies, or religions are based on fear. They're fear based.
James Van Praagh 29:21
Yeah. And I also think that like they wanted to be a part of a community and those early days they feel part of that community feel so a religion does and it still does that religions
Alex Ferrari 29:33
And the thing is to it, and I'm not bashing all religion now because there are good things like you said, community, you know, helping people there are good elements to all of that. But when you start believing that you're better than another group, or that if I don't do this, this will happen to me. kind of you know, the hell thing is taught hell when I was in first grade a Catholic school you kidding I was. I was terrified. I came home crying. I'm like, like, it was insane. mean. But those ideas so funny Mike, my kids laugh they're like how it makes no sense whatsoever about Limbo
James Van Praagh 30:06
remember that one limbo?
Alex Ferrari 30:08
Oh, don't forget part. We're purgatory. Yes, of course, Purgatory purgatory. Yeah, there you go. Yes. Yeah. Forget, can't forget purgatory.
James Van Praagh 30:13
It's so interesting, because, again, going back to people taking the responsibility for themselves instead of a spiritual bypass, every religion, blame it on the religion and following that way. And it's just I think it's just taking responsibility for our own selves. And I think, you know, when people ask about religion, I say, Well, every religion has a bit of a truth, but not any one. Religion has all the truth. So I think people's What is your religion, I said, My religion is love. It's that one is recognizing God, that force, whatever that might be, if you want to call it in each person, but no one should own god, no one owns God, people are God. So again, going saying if people would see the god lightnings person and have respect for who they are, where they're at. And I it's really interesting, because I think many people go into judgment. And judgment to me is fear based because I judge another because I want to feel better than so I put them down, that I'll be in control, or I'll feel better. I think that's a lot of what that is judgment, judgment, total fear based and fear is an emotion of the human. It's not the spirit, it's of the human world. Fear doesn't exist in the spiritual world. It's just this, you know, F E, A R false ego appearing real. It has to do with us humaneness not not the spirit.
Alex Ferrari 31:20
It's interesting. I was talking to a former Baptist the other day, and we were when we were on the show, and he's like, Yeah, you know, you know, when I was Baptist, I feel bad for you Catholics, because you guys were all going to hell? And I'm like, wow, yeah, I'm like, Wow, I'm like, you know, what we did, too. We said, all those poor Baptists, or, you know, or Mormons or whatever other sects of Christianity, there is 1000 of them, oh, you poor people, you just don't understand. Like, it's, it's such an ego place to be, you need to feel like you're superior to others, in order to, to be able to just walk the earth. And it's, it's such a that I think, is one of the key causes of all of this conflict that we're seeing in the world is I must, I'm so scared inside of not being enough, or of what other people will think or have the, it's almost it's so primal is such a primal thing. Because, again, number one thing people fear most is talking in public. Why? Because you feel you're going to be ridiculed or thrown out of the tribe. And if you're thrown out of the tribe, the lions will eat you, because you're not part of the tribe anymore. And that's, but that's where that all that comes from, right? So a lot of these fears are still based in these really primal, low energy, low level ideas. So when Yeah, it's a very archaic ideas, when you start to evolve yourself and open yourself up to these higher ideas. You know, in the other day, there was a problem I had in my life where something came in to challenge me. And that and I processed it, and within 30 minutes, it was gone. And it's been getting shorter and shorter. Before it would take, you know, days, sometimes it would ruin a month, sometimes it would hold on to it, sometimes I would just simmer in it. And and now it's kind of like, okay, that's not serving me anymore. I forgive and I will adjust.
James Van Praagh 33:19
So so great way, Alex with that, which it was just I just saying that reminds me. And I've been doing this and it really helped two things. Number one observation, stepping back and observing, don't have a knee jerk reaction, when something happens when someone does something or something happens, like you're pulled into that frenetic energy and have a knee jerk reaction, but you want to step back and be objective. And it's like watching a show, you know, in a stage, that's not playing out, and I'm not gonna get involved in that I can be the audience member, and then watch what's going on, it's gonna affect me. And the other thing when people have these, a lot of us for us every day, have situations with difficult situations, whether it's emotional, health wise, you know, throw stuff, whatever it is, I often say, when things come into my life, these experiences like not happy or whatever might be opportunities, instead of judging them as good or bad as it's an opportunity to understand myself more. I believe in faith, whatever, I need to do something believe myself. I think there are always opportunities. So someone says, this happened to me, while I step back, what opportunity what lesson, we're here learning lessons, remember in school, and we have different lessons every day. And every day. I mentioned the first broadcast we did together every day on our path, there are teachers and their students. And that's the exciting part. So as we go each day, wow, who's going to teach me something today? What am I going to teach myself today? So it's really opportunities that come to us. And if we could get the again, to repeat this back from the first show, because you can hear it enough. It's living in the moment, you know, the past has already happened. The future has yet to be so really be fully involved in this moment now. And that's a true way to live, live the fullness of each moment. And I think that's how we should live our eyes. Yeah.
Alex Ferrari 35:01
And it's, it's this this this event that happened to me when I kind of pulled back. I said I, again, we're not perfect. We're not. We're not we're all learning. It takes it took. But I've noticed that it was a few hours it like recently was that maybe a few hours before it was days or weeks or months sometimes. Now it's gotten to a few hours now was done in like 15 to 20 minutes it was back, it was gone. But I stopped. And I said to myself, What is the lesson here? Right? What am I? What am I supposed to learn from this? Because this is happening for me. And that to me? So my way of putting it? Yeah. So what is what is, what am I supposed to learn here? And I'm and I and you start rattling your head? And sometimes you might come up with an answer. But many times you just won't know until maybe six months down the line a year down the line five years down the line go. Oh, that's what that was what the thing is, but at least you're being aware that this is a lesson. What all of it all of it from people, someone cutting off cutting you off in traffic. How did you deal with that? How did you react to that? Again? No one's perfect. Someone called me off the other day. And I said something my wife like what I'm like, sorry.
James Van Praagh 36:11
There's like they pull you down or bring you up? You know,
Alex Ferrari 36:13
I mean, well, that guy pulled me up, I then I jumped back up. I elevated again, James but but for a second, I just went back down not in a different it was weird, though. Because before it would be cursing and yelling, and before we chasing them and trying to flick them off. And all that was with a young version of me when I was my 20s You're just the How dare you my ego. Now it was just like, I was angry because he was putting other people at risk. That was the Dow was the difference of what was happening wasn't me. I didn't care that he cut me off. But I saw how reckless he was being I'm like, You're gonna kill somebody, you're gonna hurt somebody? Why are you being such an idiot? That was that was where I came from saving notice that in my perception, I got angry. But I got angry for the right reason,
James Van Praagh 36:59
I guess, you sort of and you saw the bigger picture, which is really important when these things happen to us see the bigger picture see this as opportunities in the bigger picture? And you know, it also helps Alex with our mindset, what is our mindset? How do we change, like, again, we just talked about, you know, we have these situations, there are opportunities to grow, there are lessons. So when you change that mindset, and you see to get away from the judgment, because judges fear basic, okay. And you can see people being in fear, you can see people in judgment, but you don't have to be in that you can be aware of it, but you have it, you know, and again, we're putting positions to teach others or to learn from and some of the same thing. And it really might get down to, you know, some severe lessons we're going to learn they're going to push us to our, our maximum. You know, it says I was once it as a parking lot, I had my my loving dog in the car, and it was I had automatic air conditioning stays on the engine, but you can hear it. And I remember it's coming out of the store and this watch this lady next to my truck. And she's like looking in with her phone. And she looks at me and I'm talking on the phone in front of the store. And I'm telling I think something's going on with this lady. So I walked up to when I said she said I would Did you just the engine started because it starts every five minutes when I would you just put that on because you saw me standing in the truck next to your dog. And I said, Excuse me, she goes, your dog is in this truck. I said, Yes, I know there's air conditioning on it. You don't hear it. It's a hybrid, you know, just Ha, I was talking about your dog. And I said, okay, and I thought I can get really, really angry and pissed off, or I can be kind. I did get a little pissed off because it was my dog, my child. I said to the lady, I said, number one, you could have come over to me if you're concerned. And you saw me sitting here. Why didn't you walk over me and talk to me? It's an acting on in power. You should have done that that was the right way you handle these situations? Do you think I've really hurt an animal? And maybe you did. But it's worth that extra step to come back say Excuse me, sir, is that your. So we have to do that people rush into judgment right away. And they got to stop and take a few deep breaths and see what the story what's really going on? I think and we think we're gonna remind people that and we're given those situations in our life, maybe to remind people to stop, take a breath. And let's see, instead of reacting because everything is said reacting reactionary these days to stop take a breath and see the fullness of that picture.
Alex Ferrari 39:10
Pull out the phone, let's record the situation so we can get clicks so we can get validation is was that yeah, it's you know, it's, it's, it's insane. Now, we've been talking a lot of about, you know, things happen for us, and not to us and this kind of thing. And that was that. Yeah. And that is wonderfully to be said in a philosophical standpoint. Now, both you and I have had things happen to us in our lives. We all have if you're living in walking the earth, you're going to have issues, you're going to have conflict, you're going to have trauma you're going to have it's just part of this experience with our school. Exactly. So what advice would you have for somebody who is in the midst of a loss in the midst of witnessing violence and wisdom not understanding why I lost this loved one in the way I did. or why this is happening to my community or why this is happening to my town or things like that.
James Van Praagh 40:06
Okay, so a couple of things. So a loved one losing a loved one. Number Number one, again, it's your spec is perspective that you have. So again, going back to the origin, that we are souls having a human experience, and that love, you know, love will never die, that you don't lose your loved ones, they're there with you. It's a human experience. And when you lose someone, it's one of the hardest things, of course, as human experience is losing a loved one losing a child, a partner is an animal, it's really hard for us to go through that. That's how we grow here. And again, I think, I don't know the answer to that. I just know that our souls growth going through those things. I think, when we recognize things are happening to our community, in our town, or countries, it's really an opportunity for us to try to find the compassion, trying to find the compassion within the situation, and how can we help to heal, whether it's through prayer, whether it's through kindness, acts of kindness, and a little bit of, you know, in our little micro micro world, like I said earlier, because the macro world is going to, it'll be affected by the micro world. So we've got, what good are we worrying about those places, if we don't take care of our own house, or take care of our own stuff going on, within us and around us? I mean, what good are we if we don't take care of that first. So we have to have compassion in all of our lives. And see that again, going back to that God person, that God, Light and everyone, and understanding, again, getting away from judgment and fear. But that's why it is having compassion, remind people who they are, that they are God, that the source that God is not outside them, God is within. And I think, and this whole path here, if one can learn to know who they are, and I know with all my students in my school, I say, you know, the number one thing is in life to know who you are, to thy own self be true. My grandmother told me that was a little kid Shakespeare quote of my own self be true. And it's really amazing. I was watching also an interview last time with Dolly Parton. And she was talking to Nora Dunn, about that God, because I've always had that sense of myself, and your identity UNICEF successful, many ways, just, I'm just myself. And because one of the gifts I have very early on, and I liked this, too, is I knew who I was, I knew who I was. And I think that's the really the secret here is everyone should know who they are, and honor who they are. And you don't be anybody else. What other people think of you as your business, that's their energy, not yours. But really, no one knows themselves and believes in themselves, and realizes they are this beautiful life here. And that's who they are, I don't want to be someone else I want to be me, you know, I would have been this particle of God to the world, my own particles of who I am. And I think people look at them, when people start looking outside themselves, they get into trouble, because it won't fit into who they are. And they're asking stuff, that's impossible. You got to know who you are, and live that greatness of who you are, and never be judged by others don't let others tell and others take your power away. You know, that's not right, we have to empower ourselves. And we got to take the opportunity to do that. And many times are diverse and hard, hard situations in our family lives, everyday lives, that push us to the brink. And they will these these, these obstacles will push us to understanding ourselves better having a relationship with ourselves, or relating with either people around us in our workspace. So it forces us some of those really adverse experiences in our lives really helped us the most changed.
Alex Ferrari 43:24
Let me ask you, though, I know you've been angry in your life, and I've been angry in my life. And there's, I mean, of all of us have gone through that. When you're in the midst of that anger. It when you are in the the bearville crap of anger, it is so difficult to not just see white or not just see the anger, or the resentment that you are whatever the other emotions are you are just in it. What advice can you say, for somebody who to just stop for a second and not do that near near jerk reaction, or to just be in this constant state of anger against a group of people or against a specific person or against a government or against X and a Y or Z, whatever that thing is, you know, a dog, a tree, whatever that thing is that you're so angry about? It's not just the initial area, but these people who are constantly angry about these things? How can What advice do you have for anybody who wants to get out of that?
James Van Praagh 44:28
It's a big question. So simple. And I can only do it based upon my life experience. And it really for me, what has worked and I don't get angry like I used to because I think that hopefully we come back here to evolve. I think our souls come back to go through these lessons to learn something from them. So we evolve and expand. And I've now I feel like I'm in my 60s now. I've gotten to a point of I don't get angry really much. I really don't. I get to a point of I don't understand. I don't I don't understand conflict. I don't understand hate. I don't understand I see it's happening. And it's, it's there. But I don't get it. Because, for me, I see the bigger picture, I see the possibilities, I think the potential, and I think what people could just again, going back to the relationship with themselves, and I've taught a lot of this, but sitting in the stillness of your being sitting in that quiet space, taking a break, taking a breath, 20 minutes a day, if it was, stop and connect with yourself, stop, connect with your soul. So connect with your heart, not with your head, so many people are in their heads and their heads and their heads, judging and conflicting. And all these different things going on, there's so much frenetic energy out there, and it's gonna feed the head, right, we got to go to the heart. So let's take that go to the heart of the matter. So I just go, you know, when something comes up, or situations, what's going on here? Like it just what's with the see the whole scene, being very objective? And obviously, what that souls from that, and how can I behave? How can I make this better? Sometimes in life, you know, you gotta, and it's really hard. There are people that you love in your life, and they got to go through some stuff, they got to go through some shit, and you can't do anything. Because you can, that's part of their journey, you know, you can help them to a point, but then they have to go for it. Right. And that's really hard for us, we love people. So I think we have to live by example, I think we have to, again, honor them where they're at. I think also Alex, when one begins to have an awareness of the objectivity of a situation, and who they're dealing with. I think people once they know themselves, and they honor who they are, then there's a sense of boundary work, they have to have boundaries, they gotta instill boundaries, whether it's in their families, or their married partners, lives or friends and work life, there's got to be boundaries. And when people walk over people's boundaries, and just the basic level, that's bad, because they're putting their stuff onto somebody else. And we're, when we allow that to happen, that's not good. Because we take our power, they take our power away. So it's the same thing, if you will, and this the conflicts in the world, you know, taking power away having no boundaries, so we got insistent boundaries. And that's really what's going on here. Realistic boundaries to when talking about countries and so forth, there's got to be realistic boundaries. And it's got to be an honor. You know, we're in a community here, the whole world communities one world, and we've got to again, honor and respect people's boundaries or country's boundaries, and, you know, not try to get over on each other.
Alex Ferrari 47:18
With all the stuff that is going on in the world, James, how can we foster compassion and understanding in the times of war, and a times of violence of needless violence? Either on an individual level or on a group level? How can we foster that compassion and understanding at these times? I
James Van Praagh 47:42
think that, you know, there are opportunities every day with that with wars or people in conflict, there are opportunities to act, whether it's, again, compassionate ways, and kind ways, humanitarian ways. Just find the humanitarian each person again, find that, you know, I live by the golden rule, and it's like, how would you treat somebody? And that's really what I think you have to get back to that origin of you. This is my my family, everybody, even though I speak a different language, it doesn't matter. We're all the same. So how can I honor that person? How can I honor them. And again, it goes with everything we've talked about, as far as fear and love life is a series of choices based on love or fear. And again, if you can find that love within that person, and and maybe you can help them and teach them enlighten them to ways of behaving, two ways of looking at something in a different way to come back to a sense of who they are. I think that would help having that sense of who they are. And yeah, not again, go back, not the head, but the heart, you know, the heart of the matter.
Alex Ferrari 48:43
Now, James, I another question I get asked a lot, unfortunately,
James Van Praagh 48:48
You get a lot of questions asked to you
Alex Ferrari 48:51
We get. We're affecting millions of people
James Van Praagh 48:54
You're are all over the world. I know.
Alex Ferrari 48:56
We get a lot of email
James Van Praagh 48:59
You're helping people grow Alex, it's,
Alex Ferrari 49:02
I'm trying, I'm sure I'm doing I'm doing my part, you're doing one. But one question I do get asked a bunch is about when people are at the end of the rope. And they believe that there is no out when they feel like I have only one choice. And, and they they're, they're asking for help. Because they just don't see the other side of the fence. They don't see. It's dark. It's really dark right now, but the sun is just about to pop out there Hang on just a little longer. But that what advice do you have? What guidance do you have for these these souls who are just at that deep place that
James Van Praagh 49:44
I've been there. We wrote I think a lot of I think we've I think we've all been there we'll put all that in there. I mean, there was a time where I just anybody with an awareness I have and it was like on the you again, it's a human thing, right? It's a human thing. And and it was a dark place to go to and I was like why am I here? I shouldn't be here. It was like You know, I had to be tucked down with the tree because it's like, but you know, what good is it? But I know, that was that human reaction that was that knee jerk reaction that I had. And I just had to stop and really quiet my mind because my mind was going crazy, right? So to stop, get back to my truth of who I really am, and realize, come on, this is a human experience we're going through here, you know, you can't die. And it's, it's how are you going to deal with it? And it's an opportunity, it's a lesson. Okay, look at this, how am I gonna deal with this sense of who I am the situation going on with me? How am I going to handle it. And sometimes the darkest moments, you get the most illumination you really do. It's somebody who has a dark night of the soul to really open up and see things in a very, very different perspective. And it takes those dark nights of the soul to look at things in a very, a very deep way, very different way. And I've had some trouble with, it's very funny, some people in our lives, you know, we have different people in our lives. And I've been around a group of people, and I didn't get what's going on there. I don't know, their beliefs or the way they did things or opinions. And I would be my kitchen, washing my dishes. And I would often ask that, and I heard spirit one say, James, that's all they know, they don't know any better. Right? Right. It's all they know, they don't know any better. So you got to accept them for the level that they're at, because they don't know any better. And that's really true. When we put our own stuff on to other people, it's really not fair, because they don't know as much, you know, they don't know, maybe they're the second grade, not the postgraduate or whatever it might be. That's all they know about. And so it's hard for likely judge those people that they don't know any better. So why judge them? You know, it's and then we have unrealistic expectations of others. And that's really an illusion, because they don't know any better to do differently.
Alex Ferrari 51:46
You know, it's kind of like, you know, looking at a five year old, who, you know, poops on the floor, and you're like, What are you doing, like, you can't get angry at these five, they don't know any better. They're learning. They're learning, they're growing. So if you look at people, sometimes with a child's childlike eye, meaning that you don't judge a three year old, for throwing spaghetti across the room, you would judge a 30 year old for doing that. And if they're doing that, they're there to be a real decent reason. But there's an acceptance level for certain ages that there aren't for others as we grow and continue to grow. Forgot, that determines in sociology for that, but there are acceptable societal things, that's a five year old, he's screaming in the middle of an airplane, it's gonna happen. So 40, rolling, 40 year old, that's, you can't have that. So
James Van Praagh 52:36
if you if you address that for a child to say, a five year old that it's all they know about, then let's go to communities or certain countries or certain belief system. That's all they know, they might not know about unconditional love. They might not know about compassion, they, they might not know that. And sometimes it takes those dark nights of soul those conflicts, to open them up, say, and maybe it's some horrific things to happen, where they wake up, say, This isn't right, this isn't right. For us, we got to so I think many times it's an evolution of a certain group, I really do. I think that we're these different countries or so forth. We all have our karma, we have the levels that we're at. And I think we sort of shake things up and look at it from a different point of view. And sometimes it takes some horrific things to happen. Before humans like wait, this isn't working. This isn't that we want to change this up. And you know, I'm in the Middle East. For God. It was like, it's amazing. But hopefully it'll it'll rise up and it'll be a whole different I wish I think it will. I just think that humans are humans are difficult. Humans are so difficult. It's just like, well, that's just like ego,
Alex Ferrari 53:37
This is not an easy school,
James Van Praagh 53:40
It's very hard school. It's a very difficult school. And I've had some people come back, good friends of mine who passed over. One lady was Lady violet. She, she's my and in my book unfinished business. Because we sit down tea every afternoon, and we talk about spiritual things. And she passed over and she's come back several times. And when the first time she came back, she said me, and she this lovely voice just Oh, James, why can't people just pat themselves on the back for having that human experience? It's a hard school, but they don't give themselves the credit for going through it. And it's true. We don't we, you know, we only limit ourselves we, we judge ourselves as saying, Good job, you know, you're here, you're doing it, not an easy pick the the school it's a hard school, there are millions of schools, millions of galaxies. This is a hard one. There's a lot of the human stuff coming from different levels, different conflicts, different belief systems, you know, Mind Control, all that sort of thing. It has to force us to go within ourselves and have that relationship with our soul self. I think there's great opportunities to do that.
Alex Ferrari 54:38
Now, James, you and I touched upon this a little earlier today that, that in the spiritual space that you and I live in, where there are spiritual masters there are Guru spaces, spaces, spaces, yes.
James Van Praagh 54:53
Limited spaces, yes spaces, many
Alex Ferrari 54:55
Spaces is round realms, if you will. Yes. I spiritual realms that we live in. There are a lot of people who come out in the spiritual realm and speak about being a spiritual masters being a guru being these kinds of people. And there is we were talking before the show started about a new documentary series that's on Netflix called escaping the twin flames if I'm not mistaken, Can we touch a little bit upon this concept of the ethics of people in this spiritual space and what people are doing and selling and controlling people and so on, because I get stuff sent to me, hundreds of emails a day people wanting to come on the show, and I'm being my team and I are extremely selective now. Because we understand the power of the show, and the responsibility of the show.
The responsibility because,
Yeah, it's a, it's very, we're very cautious of that. Because if we put you on the show, you're gonna probably get a big wave of people coming towards you, purely because you've been on the show. So I'm very cautious about that. Can you talk a little bit about that documentary, which I haven't seen yet.
James Van Praagh 56:08
And, you know, Alex also is going to be in line with what you're putting out to the world, you know, those people come on your show, there's got to be an alignment of their that you know, what your beliefs and their beliefs similar. So this is a show that, I guess somebody pointed out to me, but I watched it on Netflix, like I said, escape from twin flames. And it's a guy in Michigan and his girlfriend. And he's taken some spiritual insights from many teachers, including myself because of things he said that I have in my school and different insights. But it's all that window dressing. It's all the buzzwords, and he's put himself in a space where he's a sociopath, no doubt about he's a sociopath can be part of psychopath. And he's, it's really about. It's the ego mind control, cultish type of thing. And he talks about having he knows enough buzzwords, and for people that aren't unaware of it, and again, people that don't want to do it spiritual progression, but spiritual bypass that we get right to the top, they look to other people for the guru thing. And he has fit right in there. And he's taught himself in the Second Coming of Jesus, that he's very aware that he's evolved. And he said he could put, you know, twin flames, I don't know what twin flame is, by the way, they can match up the twin flames. And then he's talking about divine mastery, divine feminine, divine masculine. And he's literally have people saying, No, this is your twin flame, and you got to change your sex. So people are having operations to change their sex because of what he says. And he's the only one that can say it. So it goes to that cult type of thing. And it's, you know, a little bit of wisdom, a little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing. Like, because he's read some books, he has, you know, my cards, the backward bookshelf, and other metaphysical position, physical people hid their cards, or oracle cards, decks. But they destroy, they distort the information for their own power. It's that, again, the ego power, in this way is a sociopath. Look for vulnerable people to control. And that's really a horrible thing. And you know, when you do this work, when you in this spiritual work is you and I get in the spirit of spaces, there is a sense of integrity, and responsibility. And my first sort of development as a medium, the very first thing I learned was integrity, responsibility, because you're in people's lives in your hands. And it's very, very true. Any spiritual leader, if you will, has to have that sense of you have a responsibility for people's lives. And what you say influences them. As someone who has an ego or a psychological issue, like sociopathic issues. That's pretty dangerous. And again, went back to people looking for leaders, they don't want think responsibly, themselves, look to other people for it, and they speak those buzzwords, then they'll listen. And it's a shame because those people that he gets, have no sense of who they are. They don't have that awareness of self looking for someone else to fulfill that. You know, listen, people want to put me on the guru chair. And I was like, nananana, I'm not a guru. I'm you. I mean, you know, more than I do. We're all the same. And it becomes more it's weird. So it's a sense of integrity, responsibility, and it really hurts me when I see that hurting another, you know, human that way because it's hurting them. It's destroying lives. You know,
Alex Ferrari 59:15
I think I think that people who watch the show and that they see guests on the show, always listen to yourself, listen to that inner voice does this person align with you? Because not everyone's gonna like you James, not everyone's gonna like it. What is resonating with you?
James Van Praagh 59:34
It's so funny, Alex, I say that, that same term all the time. I said, you know, you can read as many books as you want or see as many people would want. What resonates is truth with you take it what it doesn't throw it out, even myself said, If what I say resonates great. If not, don't use it. I mean, we have to make that choice for ourselves. We have to you know, we we can't look to others for answers. We got to find the answers within ourselves, and all the answers are within ourselves. We just take the time to listen and To hear that little voice within, you know, will be so much better off than listening to others
Alex Ferrari 1:00:04
I just want to take a pill and cut enlightened is that exactly, I just want one pill I'll take two if it takes two ohh I just want to be enlightened,
James Van Praagh 1:00:12
you know, part of my work with my school with the mediums, you know, aspiring mediums. It's a six month course. So you've sit in development circle, and part of my developing as a medium was seven years of sitting in the quiet for seven years, every Tuesday night before we'd even get one message out. And I find that it was the development part of my mediumship that was the most incredible, it's not getting the point of giving messages. That's, that's part of it, right? But it's really is the spiritual growth. And that relationship with your own soul that you start having and the way you look at yourself in a different way in the world. It's that development towards that progression. That's really the fun part of it, and the most enlightened and evolved part of it, then mediumship is later on, that's the end results. But it's really the development that is really important. I think every all of us, every human, take the time to develop your sense of self, really, because that sense of self had that my soul and I look at your life and go through life that perspective, my soul. And I, you
Alex Ferrari 1:01:12
It's funny, because people I talked to a lot of other podcasters who want me to come on their shows, and I'll talk to them and they're like, they're like, man, how are you? You know, I just started my podcast, you have any advice I'm like, do about 1500 episodes over the last eight years, on multiple different Copics and things and you're gonna get better. But that people just want to just like I just want to jump on YouTube and, you know, be Mr. Beast and have 100 million like that doesn't, it doesn't work that way. Even someone like Mr. Beast, who's the biggest YouTuber in the world, by the way, who is affecting a lot of people and helping a lot of people with his philanthropy and things like that. He's, he's been at it for 15 years. He started when he was 12. He's still in his mid 20s, for God's sakes. But he started so early on, but he worked, just kept pounding and pounding it. So in that space, you know, I'm using podcasting example, or someone looks like Michael Phelps is like, Oh, such a good swimmer to many 1000s of hours, he was in the pool, in the same thing for spirituality. You know how many
James Van Praagh 1:02:18
Strong foundation there's gotta be such a strong foundation,
Alex Ferrari 1:02:21
You gotta just like enjoy the journey. Enjoy the journey,
James Van Praagh 1:02:24
Like your work, like you've worked really hard to get what you're at. And you're not someone that just and I'm not either just throw stuff out there, we have, there's a meaning behind it. There's an energy behind it, there's a there's a consciousness behind what we do is such as getting as many followers as we possibly can. There's a consciousness, there's a giving to people. And that's a big difference. I know, there's a lot of influencers, or YouTubers or whatever out there just want to be famous. They just wanted all these followers and influencers. Really what good is that? If you don't have the material, you don't have the content. And you have to have that strong sense of foundation and content. Otherwise, it means it's meaningless.
Alex Ferrari 1:02:57
No, it's all it's all ego based. And even even even even people who talk to me I'm like, I'm just I'm just the conduit. Right? That's all I look at myself as as a conduit. I am the leader. I'm nothing like that. I am the conduit. I've been pity. Because what's happening to this show? There's no way that I'm controlling it. Just like a lot of the things that happened in your career. There's absolutely no way you could have no way the levers to make things happen. They just doors open. People showed up in your life things. So when you when you kind of surrender to that energy? Yep. And you just go, Okay, I'm, I'm not in control here. I got to work. I got to show up. I got to do the work. But I'm not in the control of it. That liberates you a lot. You know, but it doesn't stop.
James Van Praagh 1:03:45
Alex also, would you say? Because I know you and I agree. It's so much it's like the brain here. And I think also not only a vessel, but I think we're mirrors to other people. We are the mirror and reflecting so we are mirrors to them. Some people like oh, you've done this is so good. No, no, you have I'm just a mirror to what you have. I just reflect your gifts yourself. You know, I'm just here to reflect what you are. Just the mirror. And I think that's we do to not only your vessels, but we reflect the best in the possibilities and potential of souls.
Alex Ferrari 1:04:16
I would I would agree with you 100%, my friend. So. So before we go, James, that we've been talking quickly, Alex, I know right, we could talk for hours and hours. You'll be back to where you'll be back. Yeah. It's great. So the there is, we've been talking so much about these conflicts and about the things happening in the world and all this kind of stuff. Can you tell us a little bit about from the other side from what the other side is telling you? What's going to happen over the next few months of the next six months over the next year. Good, bad or indifferent.
James Van Praagh 1:04:47
Certain things are what we call hidden that they can only they can't reveal everything that goes on. So I gotta say from that point of view, I do think that there's going to be major conflicts coming in now. In November, December, I do think so. I think there's going to be world war 3, I really do, I don't think will be the major. But I do think there'll be a term world war 3, I think that's going to happen. I do, I'm just going to not try and be an extremist. But it feels like there's a cleansing something, something's going to happen, it's going to happen. I do sense also, that the United States will be involved as far as in the country. So whether it's in LA, Chicago, New York, something's gonna happen in one of these cities. It feels inevitable. You know, I just had a sense, something's gonna happen, but I just think it's gonna be very different world. I think like February 24, will be very different world that we know it. You know, when COVID came, that was a different world, world trade center, that was a different world, something along those lines as far as that level is going to have to happen, because it's going to, it's going to open everybody up. Yeah, I think it's going to Yeah, but I also think it will be a great things happen for those sorts of conflicts. It's also great things for humans to show again, love and compassion and healing, and changing the way they think change the way we think is a global presence. It'll it'll force us to, and it'll force our way of thinking the forces or the paradigm that we're on, you know, it'll force us to change our ways of thinking. And I think that sometimes things have to happen for that to evolve, we have to evolve like that. Those things evolve.
Alex Ferrari 1:06:22
So James just like in the Ghost Whisperer. So we could start off with fear, I need to, I need to end with love, sir. So what what what optimistic what is going to happen towards the end of this, this next stage that we're going to go through? Because hopefully this is all for the better? It's going to be rough ride
James Van Praagh 1:06:39
It's always the better, but we can't see when we're in it. Right. So it's gonna be better. I think there'll be a stronger sense of humanitarian connection. I think even social media is, you know, we can be connected to a country around the world in minutes. We weren't before. So I think it'll be more of this connection with a global community than we've ever had before. And I think there'll be a lot more of an understanding of different ways. I think there's also another what this means, but I think it'll be a different way of government. I don't know what that means coming up with a new way of governing. I don't know what that means. But I think that'll be happening. And I think there'll be more of that humanitarian awareness. I do believe that's going to happen. I really do. I just think it'll be changing borders, country borders, and some might, I'm not saying where I don't know, but there's gonna be that change. But I think there's gonna be more of a connection, understanding one another. And I also think there's gonna be changing religions, we'll talk about religion, I think that's going to come into a big changes, I really do. Because, you know, it's all about evolution. If the soul is evolving the soul of the soul group here, this earth has to evolve. Again, we don't go backwards, we evolved. So we look at that point, we really evolve. And I think there'll be more of an understanding. You know, years ago, we had a white and a black person. Oh, that was weird moments, because Oh, you couldn't have gone for good races? Oh, my God. Yeah. Now it's so different. And things are more of that diversification and more understanding. I think we're heading toward that. And take some time, we're headed towards the oneness of everyone.
Alex Ferrari 1:08:05
You want to hear a funny story is talking about the old ways I was when I was in Italy, going to different churches, because I loved I mean, you just walk around Italy, in every little town has the most beautiful, ornate churches you've ever seen everywhere. And there were some churches that you could not my wife would be like having like, you know, like a, an armless shirt, or shorts, and she would have to be wrapped in something to be able to walk in and I'm sitting there going, what is are we not in 2023? Like what is happening here. And it was just such an old, kind of archaic, but not even cultural, but just on the religious standpoint, you're like, you can't show a woman's shoulder. You can't show a woman's legs. Why? Because that could entice a man. And like, really, because there was other women in the room. It's not like it was a group of I mean, it was just so bizarre to me, and they would like hand out shawls. Are the people selling shawls there obviously. It was just so this
James Van Praagh 1:09:08
Is covering people's face the women
Alex Ferrari 1:09:10
That I'm just in the Christian space and the crowd can get into you know, I that's a whole but like you said that that's all they know. So like that's, that's all they know. And I think why this is why these conversations are so valuable. And so important. It is my my goal and my mission to get them out to as many people in the world as possible and as many languages as many cultures because once you start getting this kind of information into those areas that don't know any better not don't know any better, that they don't know anything else. It starts to at least plant seeds to like make them think aspects
James Van Praagh 1:09:50
Causes them to think exactly it causes them to stop and think like all this information might be brand new to them like well, what are these guys talking about? There's gonna be some let me investigate this Let's, let's understand is, and I think it does, I think it plants sow seeds. And that's what you can do I could do with planting those seeds around the world. And some people get them to germinate and it'll be opening their whole lives up. And, you know, it's it, you know, Alex, I gotta tell you this, I'm just writing about this, when I was first starting out, and I was told I was going to, I went to a medium, who we are when I was 20, something years old. And he said, Oh, you're here that you're going to change the consciousness of the planet. I'm like, why? And he said, Oh, you're gonna change the consciousness of the planet. And I just want to be a sitcom writer, that's one of the LA, but I got to tell you something, it's happened. And I didn't know how, but there's a bigger plan. And if I could have done that with because I brought into the awareness of mediumship, and spirituality in that in that realm of mediumship, it's opened up the world to that, but there was with Larry King or other shows have done and other mediums have done. It's, it's changed a conscious, it's changed, it's opened up the space. And that tells me that you of course, you do the exact same thing. And I just want to honor your work because you do it with again, the content with the right ideas behind it, the love, the compassion, the teaching, and the wisdom. And that's good. That's a good thing. So I think you'll do really, really well, I think I can do very well. I think I'll do a couple more shows too.
Alex Ferrari 1:11:18
Now, where can people find out more about you, and the amazing work that you're doing, sir?
James Van Praagh 1:11:22
They can go on my website, Vanpraagh.com, Vanpraagh.com. And also have a school, which is a very involved active school, which I've only been 45 are in courses of all different subjects. And that's the JVP School of mystical arts. And that's, I work with that daily, so they can find me in there as well. And I still do evenings of spirit messages. And that's the convent prague.com. You can find that all that.
Alex Ferrari 1:11:44
And do you have any party messages for the audience?
James Van Praagh 1:11:47
Yeah, try to find God and everybody when something comes up and as a conflict, you know, and the curtain goes up, try to open up the curtain and try to find the good in the bad that you perceive his bad. Try to find the good. And that's the first step. First step and think with your heart, not your head.
Alex Ferrari 1:12:03
James, I appreciate you so much for coming back on the show. I look forward to our next conversation.
James Van Praagh 1:12:07
Same here, my friend. Thank you, Alex. Appreciate it.
Links and Resources
- James Van Praagh – Official Site
- WATCH James Van Praagh’s FREE Masterclass: Prepare Your Soul for Mediumship!
- Books by James Van Praagh
- TikTok
- Episode 321: America’s Top Psychic REVEALS Mankind’s Next Stage of EVOLUTION! Prepare Yourself with James Van Praagh
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