Thai spirit medium

Into northern Thailand to meet a remarkable spirit medium

Last month, a temple abbot invited me to spend a few days on retreat. While I was there, he also took me to meet a spirit medium who lives far from the public eye.

She only has a Thai name, so for now I’ll call her Grandma, the spirit medium.

Getting to her is quite a journey: a one-hour domestic flight from Bangkok, followed by more than an hour in the car.

She follows Hindu traditions, and there was something deeply mysterious about her presence. She first asked for my date of birth, then invited my questions. I’d brought a Chinese interpreter to help us communicate. As she answered, she chanted prayers.

I was astonished by how accurate it felt.

I asked where someone was at that moment, and she got it right. When I asked about my parents’ health, she described the personalities of the two older members of my family, the pain they were experiencing and problems she felt they would face in future.

To me, practically everything she said was spot on.

I asked questions for almost an hour. It felt as though she had switched on a camera and was looking straight into my life.

I was so struck by the experience that I immediately became a fan. Afterwards, I tried everything I could think of to persuade her to offer video consultations, so more people could meet her.

But she had a strong sense of purpose, and she said no.

She told me that if money were her aim, she would have set up a stall on the streets of Bangkok long ago. She wanted to use what she saw as her gift to help others, especially local people who couldn’t afford much.

After a great deal of discussion, we finally agreed on a small, carefully limited arrangement for people following my work. We set a few ground rules:

She must see the local Thai visitors first each day.

Only then will she see a small number of overseas visitors.

Her designated Chinese interpreter must be present throughout, to reduce the risk of misunderstandings.

Places are extremely limited. For now, bookings are only open to people who have previously supported my other projects.